Blind Colour
by KazunaPikachu
Summary: Zim realizes the importance of colour in a world full of choas. After meeting a colour-blind girl, he realizes that if their sight of colour was taken away, the humans would be putty in his hands. But can Zim himself realize the beauty colours could give?
1. The Stupid NewGirl

Invader Zim Fanfiction

Blind Colour

A/N: YAY! First Invader Zim fanfiction XD Dude, this is going to be sooooooooo fun! :)

Hope you enjoy reading it! Hope you laugh your guts out too! XD I don't know how long this fic will last but rest assured, I will keep the characters as IC as possible AND I will try to make it as hilarious too! And I dislike OCs so there will only be ONE OC if it's possible, 'kay? It'll make your suffering more bearable XD

Also, barely any romance will be in this fic. Just drama and butt-loads of humour. MAYBE there might be a one-sided crush. Dunno. But I just want to let you know that there will be NO pairings. Maybe. So you can rest easy knowing that Zim won't suddenly turn all gooey and -shiver- _romantic_. Neither will Dib. Urg. In fact, let's just to stick to the original genre of the IZ series and just have NO romance at all. Yeah, that'll make it easier :D

Anyway, whatevs. Have fun reading!

PS: I will update my other fic soon too. Promise! ;)

-x-

"I am ZIM!"

"Yes, yes, I know you are, but I'm ask--"

"I am ZIM!"

"I know, Zim. You've told me. Now, tell me if--"

"I am ZIM!"

"GOSH DARN IT, WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT U--"

"I AM ZIM!"

"AARRRGGGHHH!"

The man then proceeded to open the window, stand on the sill, scream and jump. The class collectively gasped but since they were only on the first floor, the man only scraped his knees and stood up again. His upper body could be seen through the classroom window. With an insane grin, he waved madly at the students and then ran off screaming.

Zim snickered behind his hand but then abruptly stopped when a shadow befell him. He looked up to discover that Ms. Bitters was looming over him in a… looming manner. "Zim," she hissed darkly, a snake-like tongue jutting out of her mouth. "He only wanted to know if your desk was wobbling." She gestured to the other desks in her classroom. "You know that the mutant termites have eaten all the left legs of each desk in this filthy school. Because we're cheap, we were only going to replace the left legs with the various items around the vicinity. But now you've chased away the labour guy, who we weren't even going to pay. Zim, as punishment for your evil deed, you shall replace him."

"Hmm," Zim pondered, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Will Zim get paid with the monies?"

"No," Ms. Bitters growled. "Now get working, you doomed child."

Zita, the girl all the way in the middle row, then put up her hand. "Ms. Bitters, isn't that called child labour? Isn't it illegal?"

As soon as she said 'illegal', the classroom suddenly lit up with flashing red and purple lights. _"WARNING, WARNING,__" _said a mechanical, somewhat computer-like voice from the ceiling. _"TABOO HAS BEEN BROKEN. PREPARING TO CLEAR THE THREAT. SUSPICIOUS PERSONAS WILL BE NULLIFIED."_

Then metallic arms appeared from the ceiling and, screaming, Zita was captured by them and disappeared through a hole.

The class was silent for a moment before Ms. Bitters turned to look back at Zim. "Well?" she asked darkly.

Zim saluted. "I'll be doing my job right away, sir!" He stood up and began picking up any random thing in the classroom: trashcans, scrunched up pieces of paper, a heater, mousetraps, an explosive device, Keef, lollipops, discarded pencils… Once he couldn't find anymore things, Zim began to stack them all under the desks, making them resemble sort of like actual table legs. The previous sentence was a lie. They didn't look like anything, really. Just stacks of junk that would collapse at any moment.

Once Zim was sitting back in his seat, he took a deep breath.

Then four tables behind him crumpled, along with Dib's. Once the moans of the children were heard, Zim triumphantly stood up on his desk and punched the air in victory. "Success for I, the almighty ZIM!"

Dib, still on the floor, looked at the green alien disguised as a human with an incredulous expression. "What?" he yelled. "I barely _leaned_ on mine and it fell! How can you be standing on it and not be… falling… too…. yourself… and hurting…" He winced. He really should think about his sentences before he actually spoke them.

Zim smirked at the scythe-haired human. "_Because_, filthy Dib-stink, I am SUPERIOR to all you DIRTY, UGLY, SMELLY worm-babies!" He shook his fist at him. "Why can't you just appreciate the amazingness of ZIM and be done with it?"

Dib gaped. "Done with what?"

"SILENCE! Zim demands you to be quiet!" He sat back down on his chair and innocently twiddled his thumbs on the desk's surface. "I sit like a HYUMAN because I'm NORMAL. Do any of you doubt me?"

Nobody raised their hand. Good. Zim wouldn't need to shoot anybody with a laser today, although the thought of not killing any humans always saddened him. Which, in fact, defeated the purpose of the situation being 'good', so really, Zim should be unhappy that no one raised their hand so he could kill them. Oh, woe is Zim.

But if no one suspected him – other than the Dib-worm – then that meant he was undergoing his mission smoothly. That was a _good_ thing.

Too bad he couldn't kill any of his classmates though.

_Wait a second,_ he thought, his antennae twitching beneath the itchy wig he wore. _Why must I, the amazing ZIM, need an excuse to destroy my filthy earthen classmates?_ He grinned broadly. _I need no excuse! I am superior and so therefore, I need not obey anything!_ He cackled evilly. _Not even reason, sense or pure logic! That's how great I AM!_

Again, a shadow loomed over him. Zim stopped his insane laughter and looked up at Ms. Bitters again. She was growling. "Why are you _happy_ Zim?" she asked in a hiss. "**No one** should be happy in my class. Everyone knows that happiness burns my skin. Are you trying to kill me, Zim?"

Zim didn't know whether this earth-dwelling female was actually HUMAN. She was too scary, and _tall_. In fact, if Zim didn't know that she wasn't apart of the Irken race, he would've thought that she was a descendent from a previous Tallest. Scary, tall and, most importantly, _evil_. And, because she resembled an Irken Tallest _so much_, Zim couldn't help but feel an instinctive need to obey her. If not, then he would probably die.

"No, sir!" Zim said stiffly, trying not to cower beneath her deathly glare.

"Then why were you laughing?" she snapped.

_Quick! I must think of another INGENIOUS excuse to fool these stupid earth-creatures._ "It's just that _Dib's head is so darn big!_" Zim pointed accusingly at his arch-nemesis who had fixed up his desk and was currently sitting on his chair. "It's so hideously LARGE that when I look at it, I feel more grateful for my smaller yet more SUPERIOR brain-skull-head thingy."

Ms. Bitters glanced at Dib. His mouth was hanging open again. "Well, you're right," the teacher spat. "Dib's head is unusually large. I pity the unfortunate child even more than I pity you, Zim, with your awful, ugly skin-condition."

Zim nodded full-heartily. "Yes, yes. I am and shall always be more amazing that the Dib-worm."

Ms. Bitters sneered at the green child before sneakily creeping behind her desk again. "Now, since Skool is such a horrible, miserable place and is filled with such undeserving, miserable children, we have decided to make your lives even more miserable by adding a new student to our horrible class. It's a random occurrence that you ugly children should be used to by now." She glared subtly at the door. "I've forgotten that I've left her out there for an hour and thirty-four minutes. You can come in now, pathetic new girl."

The door opened slowly and the new girl walked in, a little timidly.

Upon her entrance, the whole class's (besides Zim's) eyes widened.

She had grey eyes and her shoulder-lengthened hair was dyed _rainbow_. Rainbow! Everyone who was socially active knew that dying your hair rainbow was a homosexual's sign for pride. Immediately, the students of the class stretched as far away from her as possible on their seats, leering with slight disgust. It didn't help that she was wearing the most _hideous_ clothes either. Too bright, too pink and too yellow. Who was this girl?

Ms. Bitters ignored their reactions but still glared at the meek-looking child. "Tell the class your name, _one_ sentence about yourself and then go sit down and _never_ speak again."

Slowly, the girl forced herself to look up, boldly meeting the class's rejecting gaze. "My name is Ren. I like the sound of pebbles when I step on them." Her voice was quiet, slightly melancholy, but other than that, it sounded pleasant.

Before an awkward silence could begin, Ms. Bitters spoke. "Yes, we all love the sound of crushing things beneath our feet. Go now to your seat, _Ren_." She said her name in a hiss, just like how she said everyone's name.

Zim stared at the newbie in suspicion as she took a seat in the front row, a few desks away from him. The ones who sat next to her shuffled their desks a little further away, glancing nervously around them. Upon seeing her, Zim immediately disliked her, and not for the reasons his class did. Why didn't he like her then? It was because she was different from all the other stuuuupid pig-smellies in this stuuuupid human class filled with uuuugly worm-babies. Although this _inferior_ girl was still short like THEM, still STANK like THEM and had the same horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE human genetics like THEM, there was something about her that was different, other than her unusually coloured hair: her eyes.

They were grey, a colourless, absolutely dull shade. Zim narrowed his eyes cautiously at her. _Perhaps the strange colouring of her vision organs allows her to have supernatural abilities?_ He continued to glare at her. _This is no ordinary HUMAN,_ his thoughts hissed. _What if she, like the pathetic human boy Dib, tries to foil my plans because she could see through my INGENIOUS disguise? She may have a sharper vision than all the others, allowing her to see through Zim's AMAZING, NORMAL HUMAN-BOY cover._ He decided to ignore the fact that the new girl hadn't once glanced at him in an odd manner. In fact, she hadn't paid attention to the green kid or even directly looked at him.

This irked him somewhat.

She caught _Zim's_ attention; why wouldn't she even look at ZIM?! He demanded acknowledgement!

But ooh… He would get it. _She shall acknowledge me, for she MUST, when I crush her frail, weak, human bones by my SUPERIOR Ikren technology!_ he cackled madly. _Stuuuupid child! She has no chance against the might of ZIM!_

Unbeknownst to him, he had laughed out loud in the middle of Ms. Bitters' lecture. Again.

"Zim," she snarled, a terrifying, dark aura cloaking her and the stubborn alien. "I grow tired of your uncrushed spirit. I expect to see an essay of TWO THOUSAND words by the end of the day based on my teachings thus far. It shall be counted to your overall grade, Zim, and if you fail, you'll suffer a fate worse than death, I assure you," she growled.

But her threat was like lice: it died horribly once it made contact with Zim's skin without him even noticing it.

"Uh-huh, yeah, whatever," the alien-in-disguise shrugged off easily. It'd be easy to construct that essay. All he needed to do was write the words DOOM, MISERY and HORRIBLE. How hard could that be?

The lunch bell went off and the children of Ms. Bitters' class scurried away, even as she continued to mutter, "Doom… doom… doom…"

Zim was eating by himself, as usual, in the cafeteria. He poked his cafeteria food, which then gurgled and spat as if it was an engine. Slowly getting used to his food not being completely dead yet, Zim pushed the tray aside with his spork. With a sigh, he glared at the filthy human children as they chatted and laughed amongst themselves, ignorant of the alien who plotted their demise.

_They're so horribly dirty,_ Zim thought with aggravation. _Earth is so dirty in general. __**Nothing**__ is clean on this planet. These pig-smellies are all so short. Stuuuupid. They're practically __**begging**__ for me to destroy them! Look at that FILTHY child pick his nose! I feel like vomiting. _

Zim narrowed his eyes beneath his contacts, his sneer growing with every second he was forced to observe these inferior beings. By the unwelcoming and hostile air he gave off though, he was surprised when someone actually had the guts to sit with him on the opposite side of the table.

He stared at her blankly for a few seconds, wondering when she'd realize that she was sitting in the wrong area and hastily walk away. But she didn't. She just sat there, staring back at him nervously. Annoyed at the fact that she wasn't speaking, Zim finally growled, "What do you want, annoying new-girl?"

It annoyed him further when the new girl jumped as if she was surprised that Zim could speak. "I-ah, y-you're in my class, aren't you?" she stammered awkwardly. He noted that she had a soft voice. She wasn't the type to ridicule other people, then.

Zim just stared at her, not bothering to honor her ridiculous question with an answer. How could she have missed the boy with _green_ skin and _no_ ears and a missing nose?

The girl - Ren, he recalled absently - gulped and immediately started to apologize. "I-I'm sorry. Silly question. Of course you're in my class; I saw you." She took a deep, calming, unsteady breath. "My name's Ren." She smiled timidly. "Can I ask for yours?"

Again, Zim didn't see the point of that question. "Sure," he replied with a shrug.

A beat passed. "W-What is it?" she stuttered.

Her stuttering was beginning to annoy him too. _If she wanted to know my name, then why didn't she just say so from the beginning?_ Zim thought harshly. _Why did she need to __**ask**__ if she could __**ask**__ for my name? Idiot earth-girl._ "I am the almighty ZIM, pathetic pig-smelly," he stated in his usual dramatic manner. "Now BEGONE with you! Zim dislikes your DISGUSTING presence!"

His words were like knives stabbing at her chest. Even the usually ignorant Zim was aware of how she flinched, the pain in her grey eyes apparent and gleaming with fresh, hot tears. She tried to force her expression to remain calm to no prevail. "May I ask why, then?" she asked quietly, without her usual stutter. "Why don't you like me? You barely know me."

Zim glared at her. Although he realized her sadness, he didn't feel a tinge of compassion. "Because, dirt-child, you're--" He stopped himself for a moment. Was it normal for a human to be so unsympathetic to another human? If he shunned her in her hour of need, would that make him seem less human and more like… a monster? _No! I cannot blow my cover, not now of all times!_ he thought determined. _I should be nice to this PATHETIC girl. Then others will see how utterly NORMAL and HUMAN I am as they witness Zim's almighty sympathy skills!_ He inwardly shivered. Humans and their vulnerability to such _weak and pathetic_ emotions disgusted him.

He forced down the bile that threatened to spew out of his mouth as he said, "Zim is having a BAD, HUMAN day. I didn't mean to" - shudder - "_say_ that I didn't like you." He almost balked at his own lie. "You are a good, human earth-girl. You are good and nice and smart and funny and everything else that is good and nice and you shouldn't feel bad about yourself. Accept Zim's consoling and GO AWAY." He managed a creepy, forced grin. "Shoo and spread the word of Zim's natural, human ability to empathize with his peers among the other worm-babies in this pathetic Skool."

_There. My cover remains unbroken,_ he thought with triumph.

But the girl didn't do as she was told. She just sat there, tears still in her eyes, and happily smiling at Zim. "So you won't mind if I sit with you then?" she asked brightly. "Good. Because everyone else is avoiding me. You're the first one to actually say something _not mean_ to me. Do you know why they're acting so strange around me, Zim? Is the rest of the class avoiding me because I'm colour blind?"

"FOOL!" Zim shouted, standing up on his chair and pointing at her. "Are you deaf, stupid new-girl? I told you to GO AWAY and spread my amazingness around the Skool! You can definitely _not _sit with the amazing ZIM! Such a pathetic, moronic, stupid, uuuuuugly pig-smelly can never be important enough to--" Then he stopped, her words finally registering in his alien mind. He glared down at her. "… Colour blind?" he repeated slowly.

She nodded, growing both confused and scared. Was this Zim bipolar or something? "Y-Yeah," she stuttered. "Can't you tell? I've been told that my clothes clash in colour and that my eyes kind of hint at it. I-I can't see colour, Zim. Is that why the class doesn't like me? Because I'm different?"

Zim sat back down on his chair quietly, staring at her with new speculation. _So her bland eye colouring is due to colour-blindness? Or is that just a cover-up to whatever other human powers she has?_ "I thought the females of your UGLY human species couldn't be colour blind," he pointed out calmly.

Ren avoided his critical gaze. She also ignored the way he spoke so weirdly. "I-I wasn't born with this. T-There was an accident when I was younger so I, um, turned out this way." She gave him a nervous grin. "You couldn't tell I was colour blind? Does that mean the class doesn't know either?"

_Ah._ Something clicked in Zim's mind. The reason why she wasn't keeping away from him like his other human classmates was because she was colour blind. She didn't know that he had green skin. _But she must see that I have no nose and ears,_ he thought in suspicion. _What is she planning?_ "Of _course_ I knew that you were colour blind!" Zim denied full-heartily, acting appalled that she would even think that he'd be that ignorant. "I was just, ah, testing you! Do not question the almighty ZIM! I'm not as pathetic as the other pig-smellies," he snarled.

"So they _don't _know that I'm colour blind?" she asked, more puzzled than ever before.

Talking to her was tiring. Zim wanted her to go away. This was probably the most he'd spoken to anyone on this dirt-ball of a planet other than Gir and Dib and the transmissions to the Tallests (oh, and his computer too). He narrowed his eyes at her brightly coloured hair and the strange, bright, neon colours of her clothing. "Oh, I think they know that you're colour blind," he found himself saying in a wry tone. "Perhaps your assumptions were correct: they all reject you because of your defect."

Which, by the way, if he wanted to stay 'normal' in the eyes of the majority of the human population, it meant that he must reject her too.

And he would. Gladly.

Now that he thought about it, when _he_ was the new kid, nobody was nice to him. Maybe it was considered normal for people to reject and ignore the ones who were different. _So my resources were wrong,_ Zim thought with frustration. _It must be out-dated. The human race must've stopped accepting those who differ a long time ago._

Hmm. Perhaps they weren't so prone to sympathy and compassion after all.

With that realization in mind, Zim glared fiercely at her. Ren flinched in shock at the intensity of his hostility. "Leave me be, new-girl," he snapped. "I don't want to waste my precious, precious time talking to FILTH like you! You made my already bad day even BADDER with your dirty, colour-blind self and I'd appreciate it if you never speak to the almighty ZIM again! I reject you like the rest of the world!"

His words were harsh, biting, soul chipping; and her tortured eyes spoke louder than anything she could ever say.

And, for some reason or another, Zim felt regretful. He felt like he always did whenever Gir cried because of something he did. Or leaked, whatever, since robots couldn't cry. Zim felt… uneasy. And he didn't like it. He began to hate this human more and more.

_I am Irken! I am evil! I cannot feel remorse for practicing an evil deed! Zim is immune to such things!_

But nevertheless, he found himself scowling as he added, "But you may sit with Zim for only TODAY and no more! Afterwards, you shall not speak to me unless I speak to you; you shall not approach me unless I approach you. Do you understand, stupid new-girl?"

Her eyes were still hurt, still sad and depressed, but she smiled nonetheless in gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered quietly. "Even if it's only for one day, you're the only one who's accepted me. Thank you."

But Zim ignored her. For the rest of the day, he would pretend that she didn't exist, even if he said that she could sit with him. This new girl, this _Ren_, would become a monster just like the rest of her species. She will learn how to hurt others, how to ridicule others, how to reject Zim. She will learn that by sitting with him, she was only dooming her chances to find real, human companions. Because that day was inevitable, Zim didn't see a need to befriend her or even hide the fact that he hated her. She would shun him like his peers did, she would reject him like his peers did; she would hate him because he was different too.

It was how humans were. From his observations, from his research on the ape-men, survival was rooted deep into their core. In this world, the only way to survive was to become a part of a group, a society or a family. All those who were rejected were left to die by themselves. The outcasts were sentenced to death; the rejects were doomed to die lonely and depressed. Those who weren't part of a community were those who were _different_. If you were different, you were shunned, but if you weren't, if you went along with the majority of the population, then you were accepted. As simple as that.

Those who were different couldn't survive. So desperately, people seek to find their place in the world, a place where they were accepted. And if they were to be accepted, they must reject the ideals or people that the community did _not_ accept, since separate societies must have separate beliefs, the very essence that makes them separate. This rejection shall lead to more yearnings for acceptance and thus the cycle begins again in a never-ending nightmare of misery and neglect.

Zim found it pointless, really. They were only causing more suffering for themselves. As part of a superior race, Zim's only core instinct was to serve the Irken Empire. All Irkens had the same beliefs, had the same ideals, and so therefore were just _one race_. If there was only one race, then there was no room for a different society or community to exist within it. These humans, pathetic and stupid, divided themselves into nations, into 'groups', into social separations, which limited their power and merely heightened their anxiety. Irkens were superior because they acted as _one_, complete race (among other things). Besides the usual oddity, there was no room for rejection because ultimately, each Irken had the same goal.

Zim didn't need anybody, so he didn't suffer from loneliness. He didn't need to be accepted by the pathetic breed called humans so he wasn't dependent. With the single-minded need to contribute to the Irken Empire, the Irkens never sought acceptance or love or moral value. All there was, was obedience.

Obedience to the greater duty of the empire.

At the thought, a large, evil smile crept up on Zim's face.

_I shall conquer this dirty ball of DIRT and I shall do my empire proud,_ he thought. _Zim needs nobody. These pathetic humans shall die. _He glanced at the new girl, who was poking at her food, oblivious to his murderous thoughts. This time, he didn't feel remorseful, he didn't feel regretful. He felt… like a _true_ _Irken._

_I shall take over Earth… for the good of the Irken Empire._

And not even the sight of a thousand, weeping, miserable, tormented grey eyes could stop him.

In fact, he believed nothing could.

-x-

A/N: Alright, first chap done. How'd ya like it? :) Constructive criticism preferred XD


	2. Green Puke and Green Skin

Blind Colour

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all your feedback! All in all, I think it was a pretty good turn out for the first chapter :)

To answer some questions, yes, Zim will change later on, but not drastically. I mean, I want to keep him in character as MUCH as POSSIBLE. So his character WILL develop, but he will deal with it in his usual Zimmy way XD aww, he's so cute! XP Sorry, fangirl moment.

So yeah, if anyone else has any other questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer it to the best of my ability XD Have fun reading on!

-x-

Dib hurriedly made his way into the cafeteria, carefully juggling a milk carton, an apple, a bowl of… _food_… and a walnut as he walked over to his and Gaz's table. He sat, or collapsed, on the seat next to his little sister and merely dropped all his items onto the table's surface. "Phew!" he sighed. "Sorry I'm late, Gaz. I was investigating the smudge on Zim's desk after class was dismissed, just in case it was some sort of evil, diabolical trap to destroy the school again."

"Was it?" the purple-haired youth asked, munching on a slice of pizza. There was a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"Nah. It was just a pencil smudge." He reached over and took the bowl of… _food_. "Hey Gaz, did you get this stuff too?" He dunked his spoon in it. The liquid in the bowl seemed to freeze and suddenly, Dib couldn't pull it out anymore.

"No. The cafeteria lady doesn't give _food_ to late-comers," Gaz replied darkly. "Then again, the stuff she hands out normally isn't food anyway."

Dib had to agree with her on that one. In fact, the cafeteria lady didn't even give him a stinking tray! All she did was leer at him and dribble. _Eww…_ He pushed the 'food' aside and just took a bite out of his apple. He gazed purposefully through the cafeteria, his eyes locking onto the green kid about four tables away from him. He was surprised when he saw the new girl sitting with him.

"Oi, Gaz, Gaz, do you see that?" he gawked, his eyes narrowing. "That girl is sitting with Zim! _Zim!_ Who in their right mind would sit with _Zim_?"

Gaz made an inhumane growl. "Dib, you're annoying me. Be quiet."

For the sake of his physical (and mental) health, the scythe-haired boy shut up. Instead, he continued to glare at the new-girl, wondering what her motives were. _She can't be on Zim's side. If she was another alien, I would've known!_ Then there was that situation with Tak… _Arg! I've grown now! I can practically sense another alien a mile away!_ He didn't want to think that it was just his paranoia. He glared harder. _I'll just go speak to her! Yeah, that's right. And if she acts suspiciously, then I'll expose her as the alien she really is! … Or disguised big foot, whichever._

He finished off his apple with a final bite and stood, walking stiffly towards Zim's table. He noticed the weird stares he was receiving but, by now, he was used to it. Once he was in front of the table, he pointed directly at the green alien in disguise and cried, "ZIM!"

Zim responded in kind. His eyes narrowed as he stood as well, pointing at him accusingly. "DIB!" he hissed. "How dare you stand before me, filthy earth-monkey!" He shook his fist. "You pile of stinky dookie which always smells like earthen feces!"

Dib stared and lowered his hand. "Ow, Zim. That was really uncalled for."

The alien shrugged. "Eh. You started it."

"Started WHAT?!"

"Why must you always question everything, Dib?" Zim sneered. "You are _the_ most annoying human I've met!" He suddenly remembered that Ren was still there, sitting with large, curious eyes. "Ah, I mean, I've met _other_ humans more annoying than you, of course. I mean, if you were the most annoying person I've _ever_ met, I probably wouldn't know that many humans, now would I? And I DO! I know so many humans! My social life is FLAWLESS and desired by ALL! Cower beneath the normalness of ZIM!"

"Uh-huh, sure, whatever," Dib said dismissively. He was staring at Ren with intensity, blatantly ignoring Zim. "Hey, WHATZZAT?!"

Ren jumped a little in surprise and fear. "Uh, um, I-I don't… kn-know?" she stuttered, checking herself for any oddities. "W-Why are you looking at me like that? Who… Who are you?"

"I'm Dib," he greeted. "I'm your class, remember?"

"Ah… no…" Then suddenly, Ren clicked her fingers. "Oh! You're that guy who kept on staring at Zim in class! Now I know! It was kind of hard not to notice, with all the glaring and staring and angry grumbling."

Dib flushed from embarrassment. _Is my obsession really that obvious?_ "Well, anyway, I didn't come here just to chit-chat. Can I ask you a few questions, _Ren_?" His paranormal investigator instincts were back on. He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, closer to her. "Did you come here for any particular reason? To this Skool? Are you a part of some kind of extraterrestrial community plotting to take over the universe and all that's in it? Huh? Are ya? You can't lie to me, you know. I'll know if you're lying."

The crazed look in his eyes didn't help anything at all.

Ren just stared, wondering if the rumours were true. Was this Dib really crazy? "I… I'm not an alien, if that's what you're implying," she replied quietly.

But Dib continued to stare at her in a very unsettling manner. "Ya sure? Ya really, really sure, _Ren_?" he asked. "'Cause if you really are an alien, that's a pretty poor disguise. I mean, look at those clothes! It's like you _want_ attention or something!"

Tears struck her soft, grey eyes. "I can't help it that I'm colour blind," she whispered.

… _Colour blind?_

Suddenly, Ren stood. She was unable to stop her tears as she hastily walked out of the cafeteria.

Dib stood there, mouth hanging open, a disbelieving expression on his face.

Behind him, Zim shook his head in disappointment. "That was lower than low, Dib-stink. I mean, even I managed not to make her cry. Perhaps, in a bitter sense of irony, I've acted more humane than you." A wide, amused grin erupted from his face. "See you later, earth-monkey. I have plans to conjure." He laughed maniacally and walked away, his dark glee all too apparent in his laughter.

Dib clenched his fists, staring remorsefully at the doors in which Ren disappeared behind. It hit him then: he'd never made anybody cry before.

Everyone thought he was just so crazy that whatever he said to them… just didn't matter.

It was weird, having somebody take him seriously. Although he should be happy at the prospect, right now he just felt… bad.

And the worst part was, perhaps Zim was actually right this time.

-x-

Skool ended without a fuss and Zim made his way back to his little, green home. After that episode in the cafeteria, the colour-blind girl hadn't showed her face in the remaining classes. Zim wondered if she exploded when trying to escape the Skool grounds. That happened to a poor kid once. It was really, really sad; at least, to all those who liked him anyway. _Ah, good riddance to stupid pig-smellies,_ Zim thought as he opened the door to his home.

His robot parents came out of the closet and greeted him in the usual manner: "Welcome home, son."

Zim dismissed them silently and closed the door behind him. Just as he took a step forward, he stopped, stared at the green goop on the floor and immediately shouted, "GIR!"

A silver and blue robot then landed in front of him. Zim guessed that he just fell from the ceiling. "Yes, my master?" Gir saluted, his optics a bright, merciless red.

"Gir, what's that on the floor?" He pointed at the green slime that covered the area in front of their couch.

Gir's optics returned to their usual soft blue. "It's ma VOMIT!" He giggled insanely and proceeded to roll around in it. "It's ma VOMIT! It cames from ma BUTT!"

Zim stared at his defective SIR unit strangely. "You don't have a butt, Gir."

The robot paused and sat up, staring blankly at the television. "Oh, so it really _did_ come out of there." He began screaming. "ANGRY MONKEY STOLE MY MUFFIN! DEATH TO THE MONKEY!" He continued to scream for two more minutes and then started crying. "But I loves it soooooo much. I loves the hairy armpit! I do! I DO!"

Zim blinked. "Eer, yes, Gir. Whatever you say." He held up his hands in a 'please-don't-hurt-me' manner and carefully made his way around Gir and his green… puke. "By the time I come out again, I want this mess cleaned up. COMPUTER!"

A mechanical voice resonated through the base. "Yeah, yeah, no need to shout. What do you want?"

"Make sure Gir cleans this up. I don't want my base to smell like dookie no more!"

Computer sighed. "Yes, fine, alright. Would you like it to smell like lemons then, master?"

Zim thought about it for a moment. "… No. Make it… tuna."

"… You choose weird air-fresheners, master."

"Yes, yes; aren't I amazing?"

Zim proceeded towards the trashcan, ignoring the way Gir screamed at him, and was transported down to one of his research pods. _Let's see… Time for me to create another INGENIOUS plan for world conquest. But what shall I do to make the humans suffer this time?_ He stared at his screen, thinking.

He let his mind wander through what happened today. That new girl, her colour blindness, her crying, Dib's gawking, the children's sneers and repulsed demeanors, the food that gurgled and spat at him, the kid who fell down the stairs, the time when he pushed the kid down the stairs, and finally, the girl's grey eyes.

_If everyone was that frail, then taking the world will be that much easier,_ he thought, a plan already forming in his alien mind. _Crying earth-monkeys are weak earth-monkeys. If I can reduce them to nothing but crying idiots, I can break them all entirely._ _But the question is: HOW do I make them as breakable as that stupid new-girl?_

"Well, first of all, what makes her so different?" he spoke aloud. "Duh. The defect of her eyes, of course. But is that it? Can that really be what makes her so weak? HA! Pathetic," he sneered. It didn't occur to him that her rainbow-coloured hair might be the thing that made her socially unacceptable. To Zim, having hair in general was freakish and gross. Colour didn't do anything. Colour was pointless. To him, it didn't matter if a person had one colour in their hair or five hundred. He just didn't care.

_So I must make the whole world colour-blind,_ he thought. _But how can I do that without arousing suspicions from the earthen authorities?_ And of course, he had a solution to that problem in no time at all. _The stupid new-girl said she lost her colour sight in an accident._ He smirked. _Well, all I need to do is find out __**what **__**exactly**__ happened and then I, using my Irken technology, will be able to replicate it in a much larger scale! It's foolproof! No one can suspect something they think was an accident!_

He cackled madly. Although spending more time with the Ren-dumb wasn't too appealing, Zim couldn't wait until his new plan was launched.

He had a feeling that, with this forced handicap thrust upon them, the humans wouldn't be able to adapt so quickly and would just kill themselves off. That would be amusing; very amusing.

Zim would enjoy watching the pathetic species die, even more so with the knowledge that he was the one who caused it.

-x-

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Dib chanted in his enormously large head. _Why do you have to be such a jerk?_ He should've noticed it earlier; he was the smart one, after all! He should've realized that there was something wrong with her eyes. They were grey, for goodness' sake! Poor girl must've suffered a terrible childhood, the blessing of colour suddenly stripped away from her. And her rainbow-coloured hair. A gay, colour-blind girl was probably one of the most vulnerable targets of ridicule for their peers. _And to her, you just made yourself a part of their league,_ he scowled to himself.

He didn't like that. In fact, he hated it. The thought of acting like one of _them_, the people who constantly degraded him, was like eating slime for breakfast, lunch and dinner; it was disgusting.

Luckily though, he had a chance to apologize to her. That awful incident had happened yesterday and Dib, being the righteous, heroic guy he was, had to set things straight. He won't rest until he did!

The bell rang for the start of Skool. Dib quickly made his way to his own class. He wasn't surprised when Zim was already there, sitting innocently and quietly at his desk as his classmates trudged in. Ms. Bitters glared from behind her desk at the children, as per usual, as they entered.

Dib walked over to Zim's desk and stared at him angrily.

Zim returned the look with sincere confusion. "Huh? What do you want, Dib-human?"

Of course, Dib's anger was unjustified. Other than the fact that the alien in front of him wanted to destroy his home planet, Dib really had nothing against him today. It was what Zim told him yesterday, about him being more humane that Dib himself, that just ticked him off. Greatly. "Made any plans to take over Earth today, _Zim_?" he hissed.

The alien smirked. "Would a normal human want to take over their own planet?"

"… Yeah, some of them."

Zim laughed mockingly. "Fools! What a completely idiotic ambition," he sneered. "What's the use of taking over your _own_ planet? Ha! That's simply stupid, Dib-stink. Is your race really so inferior that it must do battle among themselves?"

Just as Dib was about to respond, Zim held up a hand. "No, don't answer that," he grinned. "I already know the answer."

Although Dib somewhat agreed with him (about the stupidness of battling with their own kind), he was ready to release a retort. But then they were both sidetracked by the rainbow-haired girl who had walked in.

Ms. Bitters was the first to greet her. "And where were you within the hours of ten to three pm yesterday, Ren?" she growled. "You didn't leave the Skool grounds, that's for sure. I would've known if you did by the pile of ash that would've appeared just outside the Skool boundaries."

Ren timidly looked up, an anxious expression on her face. "I-I'm sorry, Ms. Bitters. I was just, ah, in the toilets."

"And what exactly were you doing in the toilets for five hours?" Ms. Bitters asked suspiciously.

The girl looked down, a flush of humiliation spreading across her cheeks. "I-I wasn't feeling well."

The class was silent for a moment. Some of the children then snickered behind their hands, whispering to each other, saying, "She had diarrhea," or, "She was probably doing, I dunno, _gay_ stuff. The freakish faggot."

Dib heard their biting whispers and just kept his rage in control. He was all too surprised when someone actually stood up for her. He was even more shocked to realize that it was Zim.

"SILENCE, my fellow, human classmates," he demanded, standing on his desk to capture full attention. He certainly received it. "This Ren was assisting me with _disgusting things_ that had to be done in the privacy of the filthy, urinating cubicles things," he stated boldly. "I made a terrible, horrible, EYE-MELTING mess in there." He nodded. "And the girl was kind enough to help me, the amazing ZIM, clean up after himself once we were done doing the _disgusting things_. She should not be an object of your ridicule!"

Dib slapped his own forehead. Sometimes, having people stand up for you was worse than not having anyone do it at all. Especially if it was Zim. _Especially_ if it was him. He had the knack for saying things which could easily be taken into the wrong context.

"And this clean-up took you more than five hours, Ren?" Ms. Bitters asked, breaking the heavy, awkward silence.

Ren opened her mouth to say something, probably something that would deny the lie, but Zim interrupted her. "Yes, it did," he glared. "I did many things in there. Many, many things. Zim speaks the truth!"

Ms. Bitters growled at him and said, "Okay, fine. I don't want to hear another word about this. It's disgusting." She turned to Ren and took out a long rope from the teacher's desk. "Go to your seat. If you skip class again, you shall be punished by wearing this itchy piece of rope around your neck for a fortnight."

"Y-Yes, Ms. Bitters," she stuttered and walked hastily back to her seat.

Ms. Bitters' glare then turned onto Dib, who was still standing beside Zim's desk. "You too, Dib," she hissed.

The boy with glasses made his way to his table. Once the lesson began, he kept on stealing glances at Zim, his eyes narrowed. _What's up with him?_ he thought, aggravated. _Why did he stick up for her? There's no doubt that he doesn't care poop about her, so why did he endanger himself and his 'normal' status just for her?_ Zim was up to something. Dib could feel it in his bones. _I'll catch you, Zim,_ he solemnly oathed. _I'll unearth your plan and put a stop to it. Just like I've always had._

-x-

_I believe that went quite well,_ Zim thought as the bell rang for lunch. _I can say such nice things. It repulses me._ Indeed it did. Being nice to the stupid new-girl would prove to be quite a challenge. He stood up and waited for Ren outside their classroom. She exited the class, spotted Zim waiting for her, and hastily looked down, an embarrassed blush on her face. "Z-Zim, why did you…?"

Zim rolled his eyes. "Are you not my friend, stupid ne-- I mean, _friend_?" He shivered. Just saying the word gave him those awful memories of Keef. "Is that not what friends do for each other? Stick up for each other and 'have each other's backs'?"

She looked up in surprise. "You-You mean, you want to be my friend?"

An annoyed tick appeared on Zim's expression. "I believe it's the other way around. Don't _you_ want to be _Zim's_ friend?"

She looked down again. "O-Of course," she stammered, her blush deepening. "Can I be?"

_I already said that she was my friend,_ Zim thought in annoyance. _Why is she asking such a stupid question?_ "Yes, yes, you can be my friend," he said flatly. He snapped his fingers and turned his back on her. "Come, Ren. We shall go to the cafeteria and have our HORRIBLE lunch together."

Like Keef, she followed him obediently, something akin to admiration in her grey eyes. Zim tried to ignore it. When he last saw that expression on Keef's face, it grew into something like an obsession. Not as bad as Dib's, mind you, but so much more annoying. He didn't want to think about if Ren would turn out the same way. _Zim is just so amazing. My communication and friendship skills are so perfect._

They got their food from the cafeteria lady and sat down at Zim's table, in the same seats they had yesterday. Zim stared at her as she took a spoonful of her yogurt. "So, Ren, how _did _you manage to lose your colour sight?" The sooner he got the answer from her, the sooner he could drop this façade of horrible niceness.

She shrugged defencively. "I was being stupid."

_What an annoying answer,_ he thought. _**Of course**__ you were being stupid._ "So what happened exactly?" he elaborated impatiently.

Ren looked away from him. "I… I'm not comfortable talking about it," she said quietly. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

Zim wanted to throw her out of the building. _Why must she be so difficult?!_ he thought furiously. _I don't care about her feelings on the matter! I asked for detailed accounts! Not her personal opinion or input! Why must she be uncomfortable, by simply **stating** __what__ happened?_ Zim was tempted to threaten her, intimidate her, but he didn't. At least, he wouldn't do it now. _Being the nice guy doesn't work. I'll have to force it out of her when we're alone,_ he thought darkly.

Ren noticed the evil glare he was sending her and looked at him nervously, wondering if she said something wrong to offend him. "Z-Zim?"

"What do you want, earth-monkey?" he growled.

She gulped. "I just want to say that I'm s-sorry," she said uneasily. "For running out on you yesterday. I was just upset and I didn't want to stay there. You understand, right, Zim?"

_Yeah, I understand that you're nothing but a weak stack of human dookie,_ he thought meanly. "Yeah, if you say so," he answered aloud with an uncaring shrug. In fact, her crying and running away amused him.

"A-And I also want to say thank you," she stuttered. She boldly smiled at him. "For letting me sit with you. And for sticking up for me in class. Thank you, Zim. I thought you didn't like me."

Zim stared at her strangely. _Thank… you?_ Why would she say thank you? What he did was pretty much nothing compared to what he'd do for the Tallests, and even they didn't appreciate his efforts. Why was she saying thank you to him, when he did so little for her? "Um… you're… welcome?" he said in an unsure manner.

Ren laughed lightly. "Wow, Zim. It's like nobody's said 'thank you' to you before. It's really cute." Suddenly, she slapped her hands over her mouth, her face turning red.

He stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. _She thinks… I'm __**cute**__?_ The thought, or what undermined it, made him want to spew. Although the girl herself didn't know it, she was expressing feelings of mild xenophilia. Zim would never, ever find a person outside of his own species that looked even mildly attractive. And here she was, blushing like she actually _liked_ him. Ah! The horror! He shivered at the thought of even _thinking_ about the possible attractions between two entirely different species.

He just contented himself (barely) by blaming her misjudged affections on her colour-blindness. She was none the wiser about him being green, so therefore, to her, he was perfectly human (other than the no nose and ears thing). She wasn't some kind of cross-breeding freak then. Thank goodness, since even on Irk such an act was despicable and shameful, and if she really was that way, Zim would've left her without a second's thought.

"Um, yes," he replied uneasily. He didn't say any more than that and they lapsed into an awkward pause.

They were saved, thankfully, by the arrival of one scythe-haired youth. For probably the first time in his life, Zim was glad that Dib had intervened. He really had no clue how to respond to such a statement. "Dib, what are you doing here?" he growled. _Finally, some familiar ground,_ he thought in relief. _Jeez. Human girls are so weird._

"I didn't come here just to speak to you, Zim," Dib countered smoothly. "I came to speak to Ren." He turned towards her and they both noticed how her expression paled and how her eyes looked downward again. Dib coughed nervously into his hand and said tightly, "I'm sorry if I offended you yesterday, Ren. I didn't mean to. I really, really didn't mean to make you cry."

She didn't say anything for a few moments. Then she asked, without looking up, "Then why did you accuse me of being an alien?"

"Because you were sitting with Zim," Dib replied bluntly. "I know you can't see colour, Ren, but come on. Surely you can see that he has no nose and ears!"

Finally, she did look up. What they saw in her grey eyes surprised them both. "And that makes him an alien?" she asked with deadly calm.

Zim grinned as Dib began to sweat. Really, Zim's disguise was flawless other than the fact that his skin remained green and he didn't have certain human body parts. Still, the greenness of his skin was probably the only good argument Dib had against him to prove that he was an alien. Now that that was gone, Dib had nothing, really. He wouldn't be able to convince Ren that he was an alien.

_Ah. Another reason why I should make the whole world colour-blind,_ Zim thought. _They won't be able to tell that my skin's green and Dib will look all the crazier._

He needed Ren's secret fast. His Invader blood was demanding for it.

"W-Well, it's not only because he has no ears and nose," Dib said, trying to think up some way to convince her that Zim was an alien. "He has green skin! You won't be able to see it, but he does! I swear!"

Ren continued to look at him with that slightly hostile glint in her eyes. "I'm not stupid," she declared quietly. "Why are you trying to trick me, Dib?"

Dib could see Zim laughing, if only mentally. "I'll prove it to you!" He ran away from their table, only to come back merely moments later with his sister. "Ren, this is Gaz. Gaz, this is Ren," he said quickly. "Tell her, Gaz. Tell her that Zim's green!"

But there was a look of anger on her face that he failed to notice. "Dib, do you know what you've done?" she asked her brother gravely. She held up her game, the screen flashing GAME OVER. "You made me lose my game."

But adrenaline was pumping through Dib's veins and his mind didn't fully register her threatening tone. "Never mind that, Gaz. Tell Ren how green Zim is!"

Gaz shook with raging fury but then stilled. Without another word, she reached forward and roughly flicked Dib's large forehead.

"OW!" Dib was nursing his mild injury as his little sister walked stealthily, furiously away.

Ren shook her head at him and turned to Zim. "Are you green, Zim?" she asked simply.

Zim thought about it. If he said no, she might find out sooner or later by another classmate. It'd be better if he said yes and acted as if it truly pained him to talk about it. Just like he did on the first day of Skool. He looked down pitifully and said, "Yes."

Ren's eyes widened with surprise. What? The Dib wasn't lying?

"HA!" the scythe-haired boy yelled, pointing at Zim. "See? I was right all along! He's an alien! Now do you believe me?"

"It's a skin condition," Zim continued like a wounded puppy. He truly did loathe doing this. "I'm afraid there is no cure for it."

Just as Dib began to laugh mockingly, Ren glared at him. "Why are you doing that?" she asked angrily. "You're definitely one of _them_. Leave us alone! I won't accept your apology until you apologize to Zim for being so mean!"

This was the first time she'd acted fiercely. Dib could only stare at her, wondering when the world would stop making him look like the bad guy. "But Ren, he really is--"

"Be gone with you, pitiful human!" snarled Zim, interrupting him. "You have indeed hurt my feelings! Very much so! Although Zim may seem indestructible on the outside, in the inside he is weeping!" he said dramatically. "Your words have wounded me. It pains me to see you." Although the rest of it was nothing but stinking poop, the last bit of it was true. Dib was always an eyesore to him.

Dib pointed at him angrily, a helpless expression on his face. "You--! You--!" He couldn't even find the words for his great loathing for the alien boy. "I'll get you for this, Zim! It's one thing to deceive the class; it's something else entirely to fool someone like Ren! It's just wrong! I'll get you, Zim. I will!"

Zim laughed madly as Dib ran away, fully enjoying that defeated look he wore. He covered his laughter with a coughing fit as Ren turned to look at him.

"Is he always like that?" Ren asked curiously, with a hint of puzzlement.

The alien grinned evilly. "Unfortunately, yes. Quite amusing though, yes?"

Ren looked at him strangely for a moment before shrugging. "… No, not really."

"Bah. Of course you wouldn't understand it. You don't know the relationship between he and I," he smirked. An evil twinkle appeared in his eyes. "Now, Ren. You still don't wish to tell me about your accident?"

She shook her head carefully.

Zim's smile widened. "Alright. Then how about you come to my house after school today? We'll play human games and run around and other stupid stuff like that. How about it?"

Although that dark look in his eyes unnerved her, Ren said, "Um, alright."

Zim laughed. "Splendid. Simply splendid." He grinned an evil grin. "I make an oath to you, Ren-human. Your visit shall be fun." His eyes darkened with hidden amusement. "I doubt you'd want to leave for a _very_ long time."

-x-

A/N: Wow, this chapter was long (o.0) Aw well. Hope you had fun reading! I'll catch y'all later ;)


	3. Peanut Honey

Blind Colour

-x-

"Oooh, that Zim is up to _something_ and I'll find out no matter what!" Dib declared aloud to himself as he walked home with Gaz. "He's acting _so_ suspicious! With his alien-ness and nice-ness and the fact that he's being KIND to that new girl! Gaz, don't you find that at ALL suspicious? I mean, come on, this is ZIM we're talking about! He's always plannin' something in that green, alien head of his and it's _always_ related to the world's doom somehow! I can't let him succeed in whatever plan he's planning because I am Dib, the protector of the Earth and--"

"Dib, be quiet."

"--nothing shall stop me from protecting the Earth as Earth's protector! Think up whatever plan of destruction you want, Zim, because I will be there, always, to stop you! Thus is the job I have appointed myself as--"

"I told you to be quiet."

"--Earth's protector, the only one who could stop your awaiting Armada from destroying my planet! Nothing you do will stop me, no laser will be able to kill me; not even dookie can stop me from capturing you and finally proving that aliens ARE real and that I'm NOT crazy!!"

Gaz growled in an animalistic manner and, without giving a hint to what she was planning, she pushed her brother aside so he walked straight into a street pole. She continued walking forward, not even pausing, as she muttered to herself about annoying brothers as she resumed the game of her Gameslave 2.

Dib, due to the force of the unexpected collision, had fallen backwards and was currently trying to shoo away the stars he saw circling around his head. With a groan, he sat up, rubbing his aching temple. _I… was monologuing out loud to myself again, wasn't I?_ But to save himself from the embarrassment, he called out to Gaz, "Great idea, Gaz! I'll go see what Zim's up to now! I bet he's making another doom device and I'll be the only one to stop him. Thanks!"

He stood up and dusted himself off, knowing that his sister wouldn't even glance back. With a cheerful whistle, Dib walked in the direction to Zim's house, scenarios of glory and triumph repeating inside his head on the way.

When he finally arrived at the cul-de-sac of Zim's base, he was surprised to find that he'd arrived at the same time the alien did. With a partner, no less. _That's… Ren! _Dib quickly hid behind the fence before he was seen. He watched with narrowed eyes as Zim opened the door for the rainbow-haired girl, allowing her to enter first. _This is… really weird,_ Dib thought as he spied some more. _Why is Zim inviting her into his base? He never does that! _Just as Zim entered the green house behind her, he smirked. Dib didn't miss that evil smirk that promised pain and doom.

Dib recognized it a little too late though as the door was slammed shut. "NOOOO! REN!" He rushed forward, running passed the gnomes, and began banging on Zim's door. "REN! REN! Get out of there! You're not safe!" he screamed, kicking and banging. "He's going to do HORRIBLE, ALIEN tests on you! R_eeeeeeee_n!"

There was no response. "Oh no. She must already be in Zim's evil clutches." He stood up straighter and pointed to the sky, a determined, heroic expression on his face. With a deep, important-sounding voice, he boomed, "I, Dib, shall save the helpless girl from the alien's grasp! Fear not, Ren, for I will save you!"

Just as he finished declaring this, he was grabbed from behind by Zim's gnomes. "Hey, what--? L-Let me go," he demanded, kicking and thrashing. But as always, it was no use. He was thrown out of Zim's lawn and onto the footpath. Spitting out the dirt in his mouth, Dib stood and glared at the lawn gnomes. "Curse you," he whispered to himself. Then, louder, he screamed skyward, "CURSE YOU!"

He realized what he was doing and stopped. "Man, I'm spending _way_ too much time around Zim. His unnecessary yelling is really getting to me," he said aloud. With an awkward shrug, he made his way around Zim's base, searching for a way inside that wasn't guarded by annoying, slow-moving garden gnomes.

-x-

"Wow, Zim, your house looks pretty cool," Ren complimented as she eyed the large Angry Monkey portrait hanging from the wall above the couch. "Where're your parents?"

"Oh, they're in the closet," Zim brushed off with a careless wave of his hand.

Then they both heard screaming and banging from outside the door. Immediately, Zim recognized it to be Dib's voice. _Arg, that HORRIBLE, MEDDLING human child!_ Quickly, he leaned against the thumping door, acting like it was normal as he coolly crossed his arms.

As the yells continued, Ren stared at Zim, who was doing nothing but leaning. "Um, I think there's someone at your door, Zim."

"Oh, huh? Really? I never noticed." Zim laughed nervously. "Don't mind the knocking. I heard that, uh, there was going to be a tornado this afternoon. It's probably just random objects and passing humans being slammed into my normal, human house that's making the noise."

"… And the screaming?"

"The screaming of the suffering humans pleading for me to take them inside my humble home in which they would be safe," Zim nodded sadly. "Alas, though, there is no room."

Ren looked around the widely spaced living room and said nothing. Finally, Dib's voice and the banging stopped and Zim sighed in relief. He pushed himself off the door, all cool and composed. "Now sit right there, earth-monkey," he demanded, pointing towards the small wooden chair that had appeared randomly. "I'm gonna go, uh, downstairs to, hmm, get the _supplies_ I need in order to make your visit… enjoyable." He grinned. "Meanwhile, Gir will entertain you."

Ren stared. "Who's Gir?"

"My insane, talking dog. I'll get him for you: GIR!"

No one came. Zim glared. "GIR! I demand that you appear before the almighty _ZIM_ now!"

Suddenly, he was tackled to the ground. Gir was on top of him, in his dog costume, covered with peanuts and honey. "Welcomes home, MASTAH!" he giggled. "Do ya likes my new look? I'M DELICIOUS!" Within a second, Gir was biting his arm, making growling noises.

Annoyed, Zim pushed him off of him and stood up, disgusted by the sticky substance on his hands and frontal shirt. "Gir, we have a visitor," he explained patiently. "Her name is…" He paused, forgetting the girl's name momentarily. "… Ah, that's right. Her name is Ren-thing-human-stink-pig. You are to entertain our _guest_ until I come back with my torture devices."

"Torture devices?" Ren repeated quickly, staring at Zim with large, clueless eyes.

"You LIE! I never said torture devices!" Zim denied full-heartily, pointing at her accusingly. "I, uh, I said… the tour de France," he said with a VERY poor French accent. "Yes! That is what Zim said! The Tour de France is, uh, a board game thing you humans regularly play with the little stick pieces and card made out of cards!" Even more annoyed, he pointed at Gir. "You. Make her stop asking questions and just MAKE HER BUSY!"

Gir replied, saluting, with a deep voice, "Yes, my master."

Zim nodded in approval and, without another word, headed to the kitchen and jumped down the toilet.

-x-

Gir stared at her intensely through his green dog costume. Ren just continued to sit on the wooden chair that was placed in the center of the living room with mild discomfort. Finally, Gir broke the awkward silence. "Sooooo… Your name is Ren-thing-human-stink-pig?" Before Ren could answer, Gir grinned. "Mah names GIR! G-I-uhhhhhh…. R!" He laughed insanely. "DO YOU LIKE TACOS, REN-THING-HUMAN-STINK-PIG?!"

"Umm… Yeah?"

"… YOU'RE MY BESTEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD!" Gir suddenly leapt up and gave her a massive bear hug around her head.

Ren quickly stood up, trying to detach the robot from her face. "No, Gir! Please, get off! I'm allergic to peanuts!"

But Gir didn't let go. He simply held on tighter. "You lurves tacos just like ME! We're gonna be da bestest pals who eat tacos and burritos and PASTA all day long without stopping with mah mastah watching us and then feeling sick afterwards!" he screamed into her ear. She began to wildly move around, trying to get Gir off her. "WEEEEeeeeee! Dis is fun! Do it again! Do it ag_aaaaaaaaaaaa_in! I likes you, Ren-thing-human-stink-pig!! I won't let goes of you forevas!"

Ren screamed, feeling her face beginning to itch due to the peanuts and the honey. It felt all gross and yucky. "Gir! Gir, please get off! I'm gonna die!"

"YAY!"

"No, Gir, I'm serious! I really am!"

"YAY!"

Then Ren tripped, falling flat on her face. Gir bounced off of her and landed on his head a meter away. Huffing, with tears in her eyes, Ren tried to wipe away the peanuts and the honey with her sleeve. "You're insane!" she shouted at the defective robot.

"YEP! That's what mastah told yas from the beginning, didn't he?" Gir started running around in circles. "The Angry Monkey Show! The Angry Monkey Show! It starts in five piggies after tacos get eaten! YAAAAAY! Angry Monkey! ANGRY MONKEY!!!"

Then suddenly, Gir stopped. Ren stared at the disguised robot anxiously.

Gir smiled pleasantly at her and then proceeded to suck his thumb. "Who are YAS and whats are yas doing in MAH MASTAH'S base?! Do you haves an appointment with hi_iiiiiiiiii_m?!"

Ren had half the mind to leave the house right at that moment. But before she could even place a foot closer to the exit, something dropped from the ceiling, and it wasn't Gir. "Dib?!"

"I've come to save you, REN!" the scythe-haired boy declared as he slowly got up from his fall. He held his head, feeling like it was bruising. "Don't… Don't worry. I'm here now. Zim won't hurt you any longer."

"You made a hole in his roof!" Ren yelled, utterly baffled by everything that was going on around her. "I mean, look at that! I can see the sky from down here! How'd you manage to do that anyway? Jump off a plane?"

After Dib got his bearings back, he thought about it for a second. "Huh. I can't remember. It must be the consequences of falling on my head so hard." He shook his head. "But that's besides the point, Ren. You're in danger! Where's Zim? Has he drugged you yet?" He looked at her closely. "Yes, he has! He's already injected you with some kind of alien sedate-thingy. That's why you're having inhumane reactions in the form of rashes and lumps on your face due to its unfamiliar chemicals and stuff!"

Ren flushed from embarrassment. "I'm allergic to PEANUTS, Dib, and Gir smooshed them all over my face." She glared. "It's not an 'inhumane reaction'!"

"WARNING, WARNING! Unauthorized intruder alert!"

The voice from the ceiling spooked Ren out as she jumped. "What was _that_?"

"It's Zim's alien computer software," Dib explained briefly. He stared up at the damaged ceiling. "A little slow on the uptake though, aren't ya? Feeling tired this afternoon?"

"… You have no idea. With my master's restless plotting at night, I've barely had any time to recharge myself."

"Computers need to recharge themselves?" Dib asked in confusion. "Since when did… Ah, never mind. What's Zim plotting, anyway?"

"Oh. He's planning to steal the information concerning how Ren lost her--"

"COMPUTER! What on Irk is going on in here?!"

"Uh-oh. Now you're in trouble."

They all turned their attentions towards Zim, who still wore his disguise. He was seething in front of the doorless doorway that connected the living room to the kitchen. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BASE?!" he screamed at Dib, pointing rather rudely. His eyes widened when he saw his ceiling. "And what have you done to my roof, you horrible, horrible earth-child?! You DESTROYED it!"

"It doesn't feel nice when someone destroys your home, does it, Zim?" Dib spat. "Maybe now you'll rethink about destroying Earth!"

"SILENCE! I never planned to destroy the Earth! No fellow human would do such a thing to their own planet unless they were rich and owned oil and coal companies!" He began poking Dib's hideously large head. "Now _get out_! Zim has not invited you into his normal, human home! You are trespassing! I will call the human authorities if you DO NOT GET OFF MY PROPERTY!"

"Ow, ow, ow, quit it, ow, your claws are pointy!" Dib tried to swat away Zim's hand to no prevail. "Alright, alright, I'll leave!" He grabbed Ren's wrist. "But I'm leaving with _her_. I won't allow you to do horrible experiments on her, Zim! NEVER!"

Zim began to sweat. "Experiments? What experiments? I wasn't going to conduct any painful, terrible experiments that would no doubt cause limitless suffering to the subject. No, never! I wouldn't do such a thing to a fellow dirt-child." He narrowed his eyes. "Leave without her, Dib-thing! She has agreed to come and _play_ with me this afternoon."

"It's a trap, Ren! It's all a trap! Don't believe him!"

"NO! HE'S the one who's lying, Ren-girl! You've seen for yourself how much of a liar this human is."

"You're nothing but an alien that can't even come up with a proper disguise!"

"I demand that you be quiet, earth-monkey! My disguise is flawless!"

"HA! As if I'd believe that! Tak's disguise was WAY more effective than yours!"

"Don't you DARE mention _Tak's_ name in my presence! I'll rip your eyes out from their eye-sockets!"

By now, they were head to head, forgetting all that was around them as they glared reproachfully into each other's alien eyes. Gir laughed, eating a bag of popcorn, pointing occasionally when neither of them dared to blink.

Ren just stared. "Um… Zim?"

But the alien didn't seem to hear her. He and Dib were too wrapped up in their glaring competition to realize what was happening around them.

"Oookaaay." Ren took a timid step back. "You now what? I think I've come over at the wrong time. Maybe I can visit some other time, like, you know, when you're not so… busy. I'll… I'll see you at Skool." When neither of them replied, Ren sighed. "Um. Okay. I'm leaving now. Bye."

Just as Ren walked out the door, Gir shouted, "BYE STRANGER!"

When the door slammed close, Zim snapped out of it. He pushed Dib roughly backwards and the human boy fell on his behind. "Look at what you've done, Dib-stink," Zim sneered. "Not only have you ruined my plans but you've spoiled my day and wasted my time!"

"What exactly WERE your plans, huh, huh, huh?" Dib asked, quickly standing up. "To find out how Ren got colour-blind in order to use the information to your advantage?"

Zim gaped. "HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?!"

"Your computer--"

"ARE YOU A PSYCHIC?!"

"Psychic? No, Zim, your comp--"

"HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL ME THAT YOU HAD SUCH A POWER!"

"Okay, stop with the yelling and just listen for on--"

"YOU DARE THINK THAT SUCH A SECRET WOULD BE KEPT A SECRET FROM THE ALMIGHTY _**ZIM**_?! FOOL! Now that I know of your power, I can more strictly record your battle patterns and change my plans accordingly!"

"YOUR COMPUTER TOLD ME, YOU MORON!" Dib finally screamed, huffing and puffing with frustration at the near-deaf alien.

"… Huh?" Realization hit him as Zim glared furiously at the ceiling. "COMPUTER! How dare you betray your master for this… this… stinky, earth-boy?!"

"I couldn't help it!" the mechanical voice whined. "Dib asked and I'm not one to NOT obey orders! Don't worry though, master. You'll always be my first and foremost master. Your command overrides any other command others give me."

"Then why did you tell him?" Zim fumed.

"… You didn't tell me that I was suppose' to keep it a secret…"

Zim was beginning to get a headache. He turned his attentions back to Dib, who was picking something out of his nails. "You get out now," he demanded with barely contained anger. "I've had enough of your disgustingly large head for today." He began shoving him towards the door, ignoring Dib's protest.

"Ow, hey, watch it, ow, jeez, no need to push Zim, hey, I can walk find by myself, ya know!"

Zim opened the door and shoved Dib outside so roughly that Dib fell on his face. "You may have succeeded in foiling my plans for today, Dib-child, but you can't protect her forever!" he sneered. "When your back is turned, when you're not looking, when you're taking a drop in your DISGUSTING human toilets, I will get her. Oooh, how I will GET her. She'll only suffer more now that you've intervened! Remorse in the guilt that you were the one who caused her suffering! REMORSE!"

"Never, Zim!" Dib spat, standing up for probably the zillionth time that day. "I won't NEED to feel remorse if you never get your dirty, alien claws on her! I will protect her and there's nothing you could do to stop me!"

The green alien glared furiously. "Oh, we'll see about that, Dib-stink. We'll see about that." He waved dismissively. "GNOMES! Take the mutant-boy away."

When the gnomes slowly advanced him, Dib began walking down Zim's lawn path. "I don't need an escort," he stated flatly. He just moved around the robots idly until he was off Zim's property. "See you tomorrow at Skool Zim!" he called. "That is, if you have the GUTS."

Zim lifted a non-existent eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Dib stared and then shrugged. "I dunno. Just wanted something cool to say." He waved madly with a grin and then ran away.

Gir was standing next to Zim as the alien continued to stare on with confusion. "He's a weird boy, mastah," the robot stated, pulling down his hood. He smiled. "I thinks you'd be greeeeeeaaaat friends, mastah. He's so much like yous!"

"Bah! Don't speak nonsense to me, Gir. Dib is my sworn enemy on this dirt planet. We can never be _friends_." That word made him shudder again. "Come, Gir. I must think up another ingenious plan to extract that Ren-girl's memory knowledge. This time, I'll have to think up a way to get the Dib-worm out of my hair."

"But you don'ts have hair, mastah!" Gir laughed. He then choked and fell down.

Zim didn't seem to notice. "Yeah, well, be quiet, Gir. It's a human expression. I just wanted to try out its stupidness and then laugh at it. HAHAHA! I laugh at what they call a 'figure of speech' and the potential confusing ability of metaphors." He glanced down at Gir who was still on the ground, motionless. "And Gir, I demand that you put your costume into the laundry machine thingy. Clean it. You look absolutely invaded by germs and… food stuff."

Gir spun his head around 180 degrees and saluted, optics red. "Right away, my master!"

"Then get to it." Zim kicked Gir inside and closed the door after he entered.

Tonight, he will conjure a plan so devastating, so maliciously EVIL that the devil Himself will quake in His boots. Assuming He wore boots, anyway. Zim cackled madly. He continued cackling until Gir attached himself to his head, still wearing his costume, still having peanuts and honey on his being.

"Ah, GIR!"

"WEEEEeeee!" Gir laughed loudly, demented and insane. "Do you like tacos, mastah?! I LOVE TACOS! I DOOOOOOO SO MUCH!"

"I know, Gir! Now get off!"

"HEHEHEHEHEHEHE!"

And so, for the remainder of the day, Gir attached himself on Zim's head and Zim continued to shout and scream, feeling like his skin was being burned by acid.

Maybe he could conjure up the plan later. Right now, all he wanted to do was get the disgusting peanuts and honey out of his eyes and off his antennas.

-x-


	4. An Emotional Conversation

Blind Colour

-x-

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late update. You know how it is when you're on holidays an' all. Busy like a bee :)

…

… Okay, I lie. I wasn't busy at all. Instead, I was just chilling out, without a care in the world, just like what normal people do on their holidays after a stressful year of pressure and grades is finally done and finished with. Can you really blame me?? XP

But anyway, I won't do that for a long time now. I've had my fun; can't keep neglecting my self-appointed duty as a fanfiction writer for long. Nyah.

So enjoy! :P

Oh yeah, and if anyone's interested, I've posted a new IZ story called 'G for Garbage'. It's a sweet, humourous, action-packed oneshot featuring Gir and Zim. If you have time (and of course you do, since you're reading fanfiction :P) go and have a look see. You might even enjoy it XD

-x-

Zim did it. He created the most fool-proof plan that the history of fool-proof plans couldn't even compare to. In fact, it was hardly a fool-proof plan at all; it was the ULTIMA, the greatest, mind-blowing, absolutely most BRILLIANT plan to have been made in the history of… of… ALL PLANS. Nothing could make it fail. NOTHING.

And it involved nothing but a toaster with a special aspect.

Zim cackled madly as he made his way to school. Beneath his arm he carried the toaster of misery that would certainly create doom to his enemies. All he needed to do was plant it in Dib's locker and Zim wouldn't need to worry about the big-headed boy for the rest of the day. _Enough time for me to kidnap Ren and FINALLY find out how she got colour-blind. It's pure genius!_

He arrived at the school, smugly, walking with his usual Irken military march. Everyone stared at him as he entered but he didn't once take notice of it. He was stalking/marching towards the locker he knew belonged to that Dib-worm - that horrible, _horrible_ Dib-worm who continued to thwart his FLAWLESS plans again and again - and finally stopped in front of it. He stared at the complex lock on its surface. Then, with a sneer, he pulled back an empty fist and punched it.

KER-UNCH.

"Ow, ow, owie, ow, ow!" Zim dropped the toaster and began nursing his bruising fist. The locker remained un-dented, mocking him. "Grr, curse you, metallic barrier of protection!" he sneered at the door. "How DARE you wound the almighty ZIM and think you could get away with it? Horrible, earthen technology such as _yoouuuuu_ don't have the RIGHT to think of defying me! Zim curses you and your ability to make his fist hurt. Stupid metal substance!"

"I think it's stupid how you actually punched the locker," a familiar, sneering voice sounded.

Zim spun around in order to glare at the one who made such a comment. "Dib-sister," he growled back. "I know very well about the capabilities of these _lockers_ all you human dirt-baby students possess. Dib-thing's metal box is just different! Harder! In fact, I believe it to be booby-trapped! Your wretched brother must have booby trapped his own locker!"

Gaz rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure he did," she sarcastically said before walking away.

The green alien glanced at the locker combination on Dib's locker. "Oi, Gaz-beast, tell Zim of Dib-stink's security code!" He shook his fist at her back. "TELL ME! Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"Zero, seven, three, eight, nine, nine, eight, four, six, three, two, two, one, two, five, eight, one, zero, three," Gaz answered without turning back. "Now leave me alone. Don't talk to me."

Zim allowed Gaz to stalk away and turned back to face the locker. Picking up the toaster, he began to punch in the combination, all the while saying, "Ha! I knew it! It's so obvious! Of course that Dib-stink would choose such an inferior earth number to be the key to his belongings. Ha! Pitiful." The locker clicked open and Zim, ignoring the high-tech technology and the secret photos and notes of himself inside, placed the toaster on Dib's pile of books. Zim released a smirk as he closed the door. "Hehehe, and you claimed to be a protector? Pathetic."

Then he walked off, laughing maniacally, ignoring the fearful stares of all he passed.

He didn't even stop once to think about why Gaz had helped him out in the first place.

-x-

The class bell rang for first period and Dib made his way merrily to his locker in order to collect his books. _I hope Gaz doesn't feel too bad about me stealing the last slice of pizza from the fridge this morning,_ he mused to himself. _But seriously, I was hungry. She'd understand, right? She didn't seem TOO angry… Maybe I shouldn't have taunted it in front of her face, though. That was kind of stupid of me._

With a dismissive shrug, telling himself that he'd face her wrath at lunch time or something, Dib punched in his locker combination and opened the door. "Huh?" he asked out lout to himself as he stared at the toaster sitting on his books. "What the? When did I have a toaster in my locker?"

Gingerly, he picked it up with both his hands and curiously peered inside of it. _This is one weird love letter…_

But then suddenly, before he knew it, the toaster exploded. Out of the toaster came Gir, laughing and dressed like the boogey man, complete with a green, strawy costume and holes for the eyes and mouth. "I WAS THE TOASTER ALL ALONG!" It latched itself on Dib's head like a leech. "YOUR HEAD IS BIG! YOUR HEAD IS BIG! Did you _knows_ that, Dibby? DID YA?!"

"AHH! GIR! WHAT THE--"

But Gir only continued to laugh loudly, drawing attention to himself and Dib as the students all began to stare. "I'm distracting you!" Gir giggled insanely. "I'm distracting you! WEEE! Distracting, distracting, distracting, DOOM! YAY for the TACOS!"

Finally, Dib pulled Gir off of him and held him up by the triangular top head of the costume. "What? Did Zim put you up to this?" He narrowed his eyes warily. "Why would I need to be distracted? Unless it…" He gasped. "REN!"

Gir screamed. "Mastah said you'd say her name! Mastah said you'd say IT! Now I hafta attacks you for REAL! For REEEAAAAL!" Through the costume's eyeholes, Dib saw Gir's optics turn red. "Engaging into Mortal Kombat Mode. Prepare to be disemboweled."

Dib's eyes widened and he immediately dropped the dysfunctional SIR unit. Gir landed on the ground upright and then, through the potato sack costume he wore, he produced sharp, long, razor claws. Dib gulped. Then Gir's eyes turned cyan-coloured again and the razors retracted. "I'm gonna chase you now!" he giggled madly and then proceeded to do so.

The fear for the insane robot caused Dib to run away, screaming at the top of his lungs, as Gir chased him with his arms thrashing about, screaming too, like a lunatic.

The people of the hallway just stared. They were beginning to get used to the craziness ever since that green kid arrived in town.

Said green kid heard the screaming from inside his own classroom, a whole building away, and smirked.

-x-

The lunch bell rang and Zim quickly made his way into the cafeteria. To his extreme pleasure, he didn't spot that horrible Dib-monster anywhere. _I can't believe Gir actually OBEYED me this time,_ he thought to himself as he marched to his table. _I wonder how long he could keep it up, though?_

He arrived at the table, not surprised to find that Ren was already sitting there. He sat down with an air of importance around him. Just as Ren looked up at him, he began his speech, "I sincerely apologize for the events that occurred yesterday, Ren-thing," he started solemnly. "I wish for you to know that the Dib-worm won't be interrupting us today when you come over to my _house_."

Ren shifted her eyes uneasily from side to side. "Will your dog try to attack me again?"

Zim blinked. "Eh? What do--, oh, you mean _that_ one." He waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, no, you won't be seeing him either, I think. He's busy with _another_ assignment I've recently given him. You need not worry about Gir, Ren-human." He grinned, the smile displaying two rows of razor shark-teeth. "You needn't worry about _Gir._"

The rainbow-haired girl sighed with relief, missing the dark undertones of Zim's reassurance. "Oh, good, because I almost got an infection," she said merrily. "So, what are we going to do at your house, Zim? We didn't do much yesterday, with the incident with Gir and Dib. What do you have planned?"

_Just a mind probe being injected into your brain so it could gather the data from your memories,_ Zim mentally answered. Aloud, he said hastily, "Nothing suspicious or morally questionable, if that's what you're thinking. It's going to be fun and at the same time safe. We'll play a game that doesn't require your head being torn open with a tube being jammed into it. No, nothing of the sort."

Ren smiled contentedly. Even though she'd only met Zim a couple of days ago, she was beginning to get used to his mannerisms. "You're a really good guy, Zim. I like you. I want to show you something special." She reached forward and grabbed Zim's wrist, much to his aggravation. "Can you come with me to the park after school, Zim? I know you're planning for me to go to your house, but can we go to the park instead?"

Zim snatched his wrist away from her, glaring heatedly. "WHAT? You're obviously insulting my living dwelling. Is my home not good enough for you, you dirt-child?" he sneered. "You'd rather spend your time in a filthy human _park_, infested with urine and boogers and other disgusting human body extracts? You disgust me."

"No! No, Zim, I love your house, really!" Ren quickly denied, trying to win his favour. "Just, this place is special to me, and since you're the first friend I've made in this town, you're special too. I want to show it to you, Zim. Please?" She gave him those wide, grey eyes and Zim was unwittingly reminded of a pleading, puppy-like Gir.

"Urg," he groaned with obvious dislike. "Do you _promise_ to come to my house afterwards, then?" he asked irritably. He didn't want all his efforts for today to be wasted just because this stupid worm-baby wanted to go to a filthy human field of nothingness. "You'll hurt my pathetic human feelings if you decline my invitation."

"O-Of course, Zim," Ren responded immediately, eager to please. "But I won't be able to stay for long. I have to get home at seven at the latest."

"Yeah, yeah. It won't take long for me to suck out the knowledge from your brain, anyhow." Just as Ren was about to question what he meant by this, he held up a finger. "Don't speak. Your voice is annoying," he growled. "I, the almighty ZIM, needs to go to one of your germ-infested toilet cubicles and begin urinating, like a normal human. Like what you pathetic breed of mammals often say, 'I need to empty out my human organ called the bladder'."

With that, Zim stood and marched out of the cafeteria, leaving a dejected-looking Ren behind.

Obviously, he was displeased by the turn of events. He didn't _want _to go to the park. He didn't _want_ to spend any more time than necessary with a stinky human. He didn't _want_ his overall plan for planet conquest to be delayed by a stupid little girl and her 'special spot'. It was STUPID and UNWORTHY of his time.

_This better benefit me in someway or another,_ he snarled to himself. _Or else she'll feel the consequences for wasting Zim's time!_

-x-

"Here it is!" Ren cheered, dragging Zim behind by his wrist. The alien gritted his teeth in vicious control; he wanted to tear her arm off at that moment. Zim HATED to be touched by a human; absolutely LOATHED it. "Isn't it fantastic, Zim?"

All Zim could see was a giant park filled with grown, lush green grass and trees full of blossoming flowers. Wild weeds (or wild flowers, whatever you wished to call them), grew everywhere in the open field. The sky was a deep, calming blue, with the sun about to set. No one else was at the park with them, except for the odd child or two with an accompanying parent.

"Yes, sure, as fantastic as a park could be," Zim replied dryly as he was continued to be pulled. "Where are you taking me, pathetic stink-beast? Zim demands that you inform him right now!"

Ren giggled. She seemed oddly carefree. "A long time ago, I used to live here, before my parents got divorced. I always went to this park whenever I felt upset or sad. It really hurt me when I had to move away." She let go of Zim's wrist, much to his relief. He felt like tearing her head off at any moment because of the continuing contact. She ran into the middle of the field and laughed. "But now I'm back and although it's a lot smaller than I remembered it to be, it's still got the same peaceful air to it, you know?"

"Human, you're sprouting out jibberish and nonsense. I suggest you see a psychiatrist, Ren-weird," Zim commented grumpily. "This park is stupid and inferior. There's nothing in it but trees and grass. What could _possibly_ cheer you up in this dry, dreary place where absolutely _nothing_ exists?" Zim sneered at his surrounding environment. It was too open for him, with very little concealment. Zim hated it. "It's absolutely miserable. What do you see in this damnable place?"

Ren smiled at him, her hands clasped behind her back. "Colour."

Zim's eyes widened with surprise at the unusual answer. His narrowed eyes demanding explanation, Ren laughed and simply sat down. She patted the ground next to her, inviting him to join her.

_And sink down to her horrible, dirty level? I think not._ Zim stood next to her, a meter away, but did not sit down. This seemed to suit Ren just fine though.

"I see colour here, Zim," Ren answered him happily. "I see it everywhere. Don't you see it too? The flowers, the trees, the grass, the sky… I see the colour of them so perfectly here. It's _everywhere_."

"What kind of trickery do you speak of?" Zim spat. "You told me that you were colour-blind! The definition for colour-blind is that you can't see colour _at all_. You're crazy, dirt-child. You can't claim to be colour-blind and yet see colour in this park." His eyes narrowed dangerously at her. "Did you lie to ZIM?!"

Ren shook her head, ever calm. "That's not what I meant, Zim," she said lightly. "I've been here so many times before when I was younger, before I lost my colour sight, that even though I can't see it right now, I can imagine what colour everything is. I can remember it so vividly…" Her eyes saddened but her small smile remained. "I remember that those trees used to be such a dark green and that the grass was always a lighter green, like lime or something. And the flowers. They were beautiful, since every flower seemed to be a different colour. Red, white, blue, orange, purple… This place was just full of _colour_. And when the sun went down, even though we're in the city, this park just had the most _perfect_ view of it. The sky would light up in all sorts of different colours, like pink and yellow and orange and purple… It was just so beautiful. So beautiful…"

She looked up, towards the sky. "All I can see now are shades of black and white and grey. I can remember the colours and what they look like, I _can_, but I'm scared I might forget. In fact, the more years that go by, I find myself fearing it more and more, because I can't imagine them so vividly anymore. It's only at this park, only here, that I can _see_ them." She looked down. "But I'm scared that I might forget the colours that exist here too…"

Zim had to endure her speech with obvious detachment but, oddly enough, he felt himself actually _listening_ to what she was saying. "Zim doesn't understand the way you think, Ren-child," he managed to grumble. He crossed his arms when Ren looked at him. "Colour is nothing. It's utterly _pointless_. Colour is just there to deceive and make illusions of what darker things lie beneath. Colour is a non-variable; it does not matter."

Ren continued to look at him, not at all offended. "But colour is so _beautiful,_" she said quietly. "I realized how important it was after I became colour-blind. We _need_ colour, Zim. Without it… the world is just… dull."

"Bah!" Zim spat, glaring at her reproachfully. "Colour is colour, just like a chair is a chair. We don't _need_ it; it's just an asset to make our lives more comfortable. We won't die without colour. Stop your pitiful excuse of misery and forget about it. Colour is nothing. You're doing yourself no favours by wallowing in self-pity," he sneered.

"You're _wrong_," Ren argued sternly. "Colour _is_ something. It's a part of you and me, Zim. Without colour… Without colour… you just feel so… empty inside…" She pulled her knees to her chest as she looked up at the sunset. "Trust me. I know what it feels like. Colour is art, Zim, and if it's taken away from you, it's like… like… your _inspiration_, your _soul_, your _spirit_ and your _joy_ is taken away from you too. It's like… you're breathing but… but you're not _living_. Not really. It's like looking at a rainbow and seeing only grey. It's like looking at a painting and seeing only swirls and lines. It's just not the same. Do you understand, Zim? Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"NO!" Zim screamed. He glared at her so angrily that she jumped in surprise, even as she sat down. "Your mumblings of sentimental human emotions sickens me! Your attachment to an unnecessary ability disgusts me! Colour is pointless in the overall scheme of things but why do you humans feel such a strong attachment to it? Colour is merely colour; it has _nothing_ to do with _anything_ important. It has nothing to do with your inspiration, your soul or your spirit or your happiness! That's the biggest load of GARBAGE that I've EVER heard! You're pathetic, Ren. Absolutely _pathetic._"

He glared at her fiercely, hatefully. "To depend on _colour_ so much that it changes the way in which you view your life is simply _idiotic._ You should be able to appreciate life just by _breathing_, not by what you see with your eyes. Your insolence insults me."

He turned around and began walking away.

"Wait, Zim, where are you--"

"Home! I no longer wish to be in the presence of one who falls to their knees at just one handicap. The sight of you churns my stomach," he snapped.

So he left her there, all alone. She let herself cry as she watched the sunset, trying to imagine what colours it produced. But with her heart aching, she just couldn't.

She knew she was pathetic, to be depressed by something so trivial when others were suffering from starvation and violence. But she just couldn't help it. She loved colour. Whenever she was sad, all she needed to do was look at a rainbow, or a bouquet of flowers, and she'd cheer up immediately.

"I can't help it," she mumbled to herself. "I just love colour too much. Waking up one day to realize that I couldn't see any of it anymore just broke me. I can't help it… I can't."

She buried her head in her arms. "It's like I lost my very best friend…"

-x-

Zim was infuriated. The humans were just so pitiful and weak that it actually _angered_ him. Oh, stealing their colour-sight _would_ be the key to conquering the world, but by Irk, they were just so irritating, so darn _frustrating_, that Zim wondered if their species was actually _worthy_ enough to _be_ conquered in the first place! They were just so pathetic!

Once he got home, he slammed open the door to his base, his anger still high and boiling. "GIR!" he screamed in fury. "GIR! Where are you?"

When the robot didn't appear, Zim yelled out his names a couple of more times. He still didn't show himself. _He still must be with Dib,_ he thought. _Ah, it's all pointless now! Today has been an utter failure! I no longer want to spend another SECOND with that pathetic child. Tomorrow, I'll just have her kidnapped against her will and just suck out the knowledge already. Enough of this child's game. I am sick of it._

"Master, what's wrong?" his Computer sounded throughout the base. "You seem grumpy. Did something happened at your date with that Ren girl?"

"It was not a _date_, Computer! And _nothing_ is wrong! I've just become more motivated in destroying the Earth, that's all!" Zim sneered.

"… So I take it that your date didn't go well, then?" the Computer asked lightly.

"Just shut your speakers!" Zim growled. "I'm not in the mood!" He began pacing his home, grumbling angrily beneath his breath, "What's so great about colour? It's nothing; nothing, I tell you! It isn't a necessity. So why, then, would humans, especially that _girl_, become so weak-spirited when they lose it? Pathetic! PATHETIC! Another point to humanity's pathetic levels."

"Colour is a source of creativeness and life to the humans; it plays a big part in their lives," the Computer answered Zim's rhetorical questions to himself. "Humans desire for happiness and so therefore are naturally possessive with their belongings. If they lose one of their possessions, then naturally they are sad. The bigger they value something, then the greater their sadness becomes once it's lost. Since humans are born with colour-sight, losing it is like losing one of their senses. It becomes both a physical and mental disability."

Zim glared at the ceiling. "Didn't I tell you to shut up, Computer?" he growled.

"Eh? But weren't you asking me questions, master?"

"I was talking to my--! Oh, never mind! Just shut up now, okay?" Zim snapped. "I'm tired; I want to go to the recharge room. Computer, take me the--"

But then he heard a familiar scream. Zim turned around just in time to see Gir flying right through his door and smashing into a wall. Followed after him was Dib, who crawled through the hole in the door with ease.

"SEE?!" the defective robot screamed once he was sitting upright. "I told ya that the master would be here after sunset! I told ya! I kept me promise! NOW GIVE ME THAT BUBBLEGUM!!"

Dib tossed Gir a piece of rectangular bubble gum without a second's thought. After the deal was done, Dib charged straight towards Zim. "You monster! What have you done to Ren?!" he yelled, tackling Zim to the floor.

"Get off me! Get your stinky, flabby meats off ZIM!" the alien screamed. They began rolling around on the ground, trying to keep the other down.

"Where is she? Is she in your labs? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER, YOU ALIEN SCUM?!"

Finally having enough, Zim summoned his PAK legs and easily swept Dib off of him. "I have done nothing to her yet, Dib-worm!" he sneered down at his opponent. "But rest assured, she _will_ suffer at my hands! Her pitiful, ill spirit disgusts me! She's a weakling with broken determination and absolutely no pride! Instead of rising despite her handicap, she continues to be depressive. She's a _failure_, hardly worthy of my time!" He grinned maliciously. "Do not worry, Dib-thing. I will not kill her. She's too _pathetic_ to be killed by MY hands."

Dib's eyes narrowed. "Zim, you heartless monster! What have you said to her?"

"Nothing that she already knows," he sneered. "Now get out of my base, Dib. You're in here weaponless and unarmed. It would be so easy to kill you right now." He shook his head. "But I'm sick of seeing humans today. I've had enough of your species. Just leave. Be grateful that I'm showing mercy today."

Dib narrowed his eyes but sensed the sincerity in Zim's weary tone. "You won't lay another hand on her, Zim," he whispered in a threat. "I'll protect her; I'll protect the whole _human race_ from you!"

"Yeah, yeah; just get out already!" Zim demanded in annoyance.

At last, with one spiteful look, Dib finally left. Zim continued to glare at the hole in his door. "First my roof, then my door…" He retracted his PAK legs and stared at Gir. "YOU! You better clean this up, Gir! Properly! I don't want you just stuffing the hole with rubber piggies and bacon this time!" he scowled.

Before Gir could say what would've been a wacky comment, Zim stalked away from him. He was tired. His anger had drained him.

Now all he could think of were the sensitive words Ren had spoken to him and the facts his Computer had so smartly stated about human ideology.

And maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to regret his outburst.

-x-

A/N: Aww, I made Zim really mean here :( So mean that I wondered if he was OOC. Aw well. I think this will be the meannest you'll see Zim acting for the rest of this story. Yay? :P That's all. Thanks for reading :)

-x-


	5. A 'Happy' Ms Bitters

Blind Colour

-x-

Sorry guys for the late update. I've been really busy, even though it contradicts what I stated last chapter. You know how it is during Christmas and New Years :P

-x-

This was just so STUPID! Stupid multiplied by a hundred IDIOTS! If you did that, it would make a whole bundle of stupid stupidness and idiotic fools waiting for something stupid to happen! STUPID!

Dib had tripped. Not purposely but by _accident_. Not only had he tripped by accident, but he'd dropped his tray of food as well. Not only THAT, but he'd tripped by accident, dropped his tray of food and spilt it _directly on top of Ren's head_! Now she was crying as if Dib had broken her entire world. The entire Skool was staring at the scene that he'd made, and Dib was flushing pink with embarrassment as he muttered repeated apologies to the poor, tear-stricken girl.

_What's the big deal?_ he screamed in his mind. _All I did was spill a little food on her, by __**accident**__! Why is she crying as if I killed her pet dog?_

"I-I'm sorry, Ren," he continued, pathetically, to speak his apologies. "I-I didn't mean to. Please stop crying. Ren, I'm sorry, jeez, I didn't mean it! Why are you crying so much?"

Dib was helping to get the food out of her rainbow-coloured hair with a tissue. Ren just continued to cry, her face covered by her hands, too embarrassed and distraught to even reveal her eyes. "Aw man…" he whispered to himself, trying to soothe the girl as she sat on her usual eating place. _Seriously. It's like fate doesn't want me to be friends with her or something._

At least what he spilt on her wasn't porridge or something gooey like that. It was more like fried rice that looked expired. Once he was relatively done cleaning the bits and pieces out of her hair, he tried to stop her from crying. "Hey, Ren, please stop crying." _You're making a scene and making me EXTREMELY uncomfortable._ Luckily, Zim wasn't here today. Doubtless that if he WAS here, Zim would've been mocking him and his clumsiness by now. _Stupid Zim._

Ren sniffed, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "I-I'm sorry, Dib," she whispered, much to his surprise. "I-I'm not angry or sad because of you, really. I kn-know it was an a-accident. You d-d-didn't need to apologize." Her face was pink with embarrassment and sadness, her eyes puffy and red. She wouldn't look at anyone in the eye.

Dib was curious as to know what happened to her. He wondered, and suspected, if it was Zim's fault. "Come on, Ren. You should get your face washed. I'll walk you to the taps." He gave her a welcoming grin but Ren didn't look at him. She only nodded and followed him to the taps.

She washed her face and wiped it dry with some tissues Dib gave her. In the privacy of the hallway, they had escaped the stares of the Skool's curious students, which was a relief for them both. "Thanks," Ren mumbled, after she was steady again. She looked up at him and gave Dib a small smile. "I'm really sorry about what happened in there. I didn't mean to cause a scene, especially for you. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's no problem," Dib shrugged. _I'm used to it._ Instead, he said, "So, Ren, what _did_ make you cry like that? It was pretty intense."

As soon as he'd asked, Ren looked down at the floor again. "… Zim doesn't want to be my friend anymore," she finally confessed. Why was she telling this to Dib, who Zim almost seemed to hate? She had no idea. "I showed him something yesterday… and I think what I said made him angry… and since he didn't turn up to Skool today, I thought that he… well… I thought that he hated me." She shook her head. "Zim was the first friend I had in years. I… I was just really sad about what happened with him, that's all. I'm sorry, again. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

So he WAS right. It WAS Zim's fault. _Making a little girl cry; how low Zim!_ Technically, it was ZIM'S fault that Ren started crying in the cafeteria, so he was all right with it. Dib decided to ignore the fact that he had made Ren cry before when he accused her of being an alien, too. "Okay, listen up, Ren," Dib said sternly. "Zim is an ALIEN. He has no feelings! He has NEVER been your friend! He's only been using you to get what he wants, and you have to know that you crying over him isn't worth it! He's a stupid, little space-boy who doesn't know a thing about friendship! Just stay away from him and you won't be hurt anymore."

Ren stared at him incredulously. "You're still playing this little alien game?" she asked suddenly. "Please, Dib, I don't need this right now. You calling Zim an alien isn't making me feel better."

Dib scratched his head in frustration. "But it's the TRUTH!" he bellowed. "He wants to HURT you! He's hurt almost every single person in Skool due to his schemes! I want to protect you, Ren, but I can't do that if you keep on seeing him without me!"

The girl only stared at Dib with wide, slightly freaked eyes. "… We're not even boyfriend and girlfriend yet and you're trying to control my life. Is that what you're trying to do? What do you want from me?"

Dib almost slapped his forehead with irritation. "It's not _me_ who wants something from you. It's ZIM! Can't you see that he's only been using you? You're not blind, Ren. And I'm NOT trying to control your life! Where'd you get a silly idea like that?!"

When Dib realized that she STILL didn't believe him, he sighed and shook his head. "Alright then, whatever. Do anything you want to do. Just don't cry over him again, okay? He's hurt people before. I've experienced and I've seen it. Don't let him hurt you too."

Then he turned his back and walked away from her. Ren just stood there, puzzled and feeling a slight sense of anxiety in her stomach. With an unsure look, Ren also turned and walked away.

A few meters behind her, Dib followed. Of course he wasn't just going to abandon her. He wouldn't let Zim win with the plot he came up with. Dib just had to do the dirty job of protecting Ren within the shadows, since she was unwilling to even have his services.

_You'll see, Ren,_ Dib thought as he stalked/followed her. _You'll soon see who the REAL enemy is._

-x-

Zim, due to his immense feelings of guilt, had skipped Skool today in order to make a present for Ren. _It's this stupid human thing called emotions,_ he sneered to himself as he continued to work on his latest invention. _I've been spending WAY too much time with these worm-babies that they're acting rubbing off on me. Them and their stooooopid human feelings and disgusting consideration. It has even begun to effect me, the almighty ZIM!_

And he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

But even though he didn't like it, he continued to make the gift intended for that stupid Ren-girl. He knew that if he didn't do it, that stupid GUILT would plague his conscience for a very long time. And Zim didn't have time for that. He needed to dominate this pathetic dirt planet before he was utterly CONSUMED by the ways of the huuuumans. The thought made him shiver with abhorrence.

"WHAT'CHA DOIN' MASTAH?!"

Zim almost jumped out of skin when Gir screamed inside his nonexistent ear. "GIR! Don't sneak up behind your master like that!" he scowled, still holding the tiny flamethrower he was using. He took off his safety goggles. "I could've set you on fire!" Right now though, as the robot continued to dance, Zim didn't think it was such a bad idea.

_But if I lit Gir on fire, then he'd probably run around screaming in my entire base, therefore setting EVERYTHING on fire. _And Zim didn't like his base on fire. No siree bob.

"You're making a gift for ya gurlfriend, aren't ya, mastah?" Gir giggled insanely. "That is SO sweet of yas! Mastah has a HEART! Mastah has a HEART! Can ya believes that, Minimoosey?"

Minimoose squeaked, "SQUEAK." She was holding up a flag that said 'PEACE AND LOVE'.

"I do NOT have a heart and she is NOT my girlfriend!" Zim growled out. The mere thought of that caused him to shudder. "This is just a… project… yes… To test out my latest invention on that stupid girl! Don't get the wrong idea, Gir! You too, Minimoose! Put that stupid flag away!"

"Squeak…" Minimoose squeaked sadly as she floated into the shadows, disappearing eerily.

"Aw, mastah, you're so meeaaaan. Can we have cotton candy for dinner, maaastah?! I likes the white fluff. I LIKES THE WHITE FLUFF!"

Zim rolled his eyes as he put on his goggles again. "Those are COTTON BALLS, Gir and no, we can't have a non-food product for dinner." He began working on his gift again as Gir watched from over his shoulder, asking random questions, such as,

"Why is the sky so blue?"

"How comes the dirt is coloured brown? Is brown a dirty colour?"

"Why do chickens have feathers?"

"Why do piggies fly over rainbows?"

"I like rock candy!"

"Hmmms, yes, yes, uh-huh… Yeeeaaaaahhh…. I do! I DO!"

"WHAT DO YA MEAN THAT I CAN'T HAVE IT?! I WANT IT! I WANNA HAVE IT! I'LL SELF-DESTRUCT IF I DON'T HAVE IT!"

"… Your head is squishy."

Zim's patience for his robot was quickly running out. "Gir, get off my head before I STRANGLE YOU!" Not like the robot could actually breathe, anyway. Zim threw him off and Gir smashed against the opposite wall with a thud.

The silver and cyan robot simply got up and laughed. "I'm gonna chase squirrels now. BYE!"

Then he zoomed away before Zim had a chance to stop him. Shaking his head wearily, he purposely tried to ignore the loud crashes and noise coming from upstairs as Gir knocked things down in his haste to chase some earthen squirrels. _I don't have time to worry about Gir right now,_ he thought to himself as he continued to create this important gift. _If I don't give it to her tomorrow, I'll have yet another sleepless night filled with guilt and regret. I don't want to do that again! It feels so HORRIBLE! How could humans live with such emotions plaguing them? How do they IGORE it? Their ignorance is astounding!_

So he continued to work on his project, wincing every time he heard a CRASH and a BANG and a SHATTER coming from upstairs, followed by the insane laughter of his defective robot.

-x-

Dib was fully armed with a slingshot and a few pebbles. He no longer used water as ammunition, as every morning before Zim went to Skool, the alien would slather himself with paste. For some reason, the paste made him immune to his once-was weakness of water. So now, Dib used pebbles. Why? Because they _hurt_.

Due to his paranormal instincts, Dib was certain that Zim was going to try something today. He didn't turn up yesterday, meaning that he was planning/plotting/making something that would no doubt harm humanity in some way or another. Dib was on high alert, even as Zim entered the classroom, looking innocent and normal. At least, innocent and normal to the OTHER students. To Dib, he looked like what he always did: a scheming alien trying to take over the world.

Dib's eyes narrowed at the carefully wrapped box in Zim's hands. _That's it! That's what he was making yesterday! I'm gonna have to destroy it or steal it before he has the chance to use it! _He glanced at Ren, who hadn't spoken to him since yesterday. _Even if she doesn't want it, I WILL protect her, because I am humanity's only defence against those despicable aliens!_

Ms. Bitters noticed Dib's glare but ignored it. The child was ALWAYS glaring at something, whether it be Zim or the smudge on his desk. "Okay class, time to talk about home economics. If you are lucky, you will find a partner that will love you forever and ever. However, the chance of this happening is less than one percent. The more probable situation would be that you end up with a horrible partner who only uses you for their own gain. Likewise, you might do the same to them. Anyway, home economics. If you have ended up with a lovely partner, then let he or she do all the work for you, because you're a slacking bunch and can't remember a single thing I tell you, so why bother even trying? However, if you marry someone who doesn't love you… there… jabber… cream… dominance… blood… DOOM… misery… hotdog…"

The rest of Ms. Biters' lecture began to distort in Dib's mind since he wasn't paying attention. He stared at the box Zim brought with him as if he was wishing he had x-ray vision.

Lunch time came and, before he could confront Zim about the mysterious gift, Ms. Bitters stopped him. "Dib, I must speak to you."

Reluctantly, Dib stayed behind as the rest of the class disappeared. He stood in front of Ms. Bitters' desk and said, "Yes, Ms. Bitters?"

"Your behaviour in class today was appalling, even more so than usual," his demonic teacher started darkly. "Did you pay attention to _anything _I said, Dib? At this rate, you're never going to be prepared for the outside world. Stop glaring at Zim and Zim's box and just focus on bettering _yourself_ for once. The way you obsess over Zim is disgusting."

Dib flushed. "I'm NOT obsessing over Zim!" he cried sincerely. "Why do people keep thinking that?!"

"Oh, well, then excuse me," Ms. Bitters said gravely. "I guess I had the wrong impression. Anyway, I'd like you to pay more attention to class, Dib. The more you ignore the social changes around you, the worse it'll be once it catches up. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you, Dib? You're crazy but you're smart. You _may_ have a shot at a good future if you stop playing around."

What was this? Ms. Bitters actually _caring_ about one of her student's future? This was crazy! "Um, Ms. Bitters? Are you feeling alright?" he asked warily.

Ms. Bitters shook her head with a scowl. "The doctors got fed up with my overwhelmingly dark aura and decided to give me some happy pills. I'm not surprised to see that you've realized how _slightly _happier I've been due to those drugs."

She was _happy_? Dib hadn't noticed. He shuddered_._

"Anyway, you're dismissed, Dib. Remember what I've told you and if this behaviour persists, I'll put an electric collar on you so you'll pay attention to class more. Understood?"

Dib nodded quickly, freaked out more than anything. "Y-Yes, ma'am." He hurriedly fled and slammed the classroom door behind him. He could feel an amazingly large aura, an infinite black with a hopeless, bleak feeling to it, consuming the classroom he just left. He could feel it licking at his heels, hissing with dark intent. Dib quickly ran towards the cafeteria, away from that dark aura that threatened to consume them all.

_Those happy drugs aren't improving Ms. Bitters' dark aura. I think they're actually HELPING it grow!_

After all, Ms. Bitters, happy?

Scary.

Trying to forget the most recent events of his life, Dib searched for Zim and Ren. When he couldn't find them in the cafeteria, he wandered around the Skool grounds. He hoped that Zim hadn't kidnapped her already while he was preoccupied with that strange Ms. Bitters event.

He found them sitting beneath a tree, next to the swings. Ren had the present in her hands, and was about to open it. Dib's eyes widened with realization. "NO! REN! It's a TRAP!" He knew that he couldn't run to them in time, so he took out his slingshot from his pocket and loaded it with a pebble. Taking aim, he released, and the pebble, slightly off course, hit Zim in the forehead.

The alien muttered something like "Ow" and glanced around for the person who dared to hit him with a rock. Dib hid behind a fat kid, wondering why he was even hiding. After a moment or two, he stepped away from the kid, who hadn't yet moved from his spot, and stared towards Zim and Ren's spot.

Only, they weren't there anymore.

-x-

Zim just KNEW it was that Dib-human who had hit him with that unworthy piece of earthen rock! Who else would be daring enough - _stupid_ enough - to do so but him? That was why Zim had hastily retreated someplace else, dragging a slightly confused Ren with him. She had yet to open his gift, much to his impatience. She was taking too long!

They retreated to someplace else, a place where Zim hoped that Dib wouldn't be able to find them: behind a dumpster. If Dib ever found out that he was giving Ren an actual _present_, he wouldn't hear the end of it. He wouldn't able to put up with Dib's taunts and might accidentally kill him.

"Okay, okay, open your present now, it is safe," Zim said rapidly, paranoid like always. "Hurry, you stupid worm-baby! Do you think I have all day?"

When Zim had confronted her about the gift, Ren was more than a little confused. She didn't question him though, simply glad that they were friends again.

"Sorry, Zim, this is just so exciting!" Ren grinned, despite being behind a dumpster. "I've never gotten a present from a friend before; at least, not after the accident. Only my parents gave me presents, and that was only on my birthday. Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah, just get on with it," Zim hastened. "Do you want to get eaten by mice?!"

Ren didn't realize that was a threat and simply giggled. "You say the weirdest things sometimes." She opened her present - _finally!_ - and realized that it was a set of goggles. Only, it looked slightly otherworldly, with a slight bulkiness and wires running out of it. It was purple, too. "Oh…" Ren said, not really knowing what the heck it was. "Um, thanks, Zim. A pair of goggles. I've always wanted some of these," she grinned at him.

"Try them on," Zim said gruffly, crossing his arms as he stood there. "Hurry up before I disable you for your slowiness!"

Hesitating slightly, Ren picked up the purple goggles and put them on. Immediately, the wires that were hanging out of it came alive and punctured themselves straight into her skull. Ren gave a little help of pain, trying to take the goggles off but failing. She flailed around as she felt the wires pierce through her skull and inject themselves into her brain. Oddly enough, no blood escaped and she wasn't dead yet.

Once the procedure was complete, which only took a few seconds, the pain dulled into an ache and Ren looked up wearily. The goggles were still visible, along with the wires that had planted themselves inside her brain.

Zim was smirking with triumph. "So, stupid new-girl, how do you like it?"

Once Ren saw him, her eyes widened.

"O-Oh… My…" Her eyes watered. "Oh my God, Zim…

"I can see _colour_."

-x-

That's it, folks! Zim was WAY too nice here, a stark contrast to his meaniness last chapter, ne? :) Sorry it's so short, too. I'll try to update as fast as I can! Zim's actions and suddenly giving personality will be explained next chapter. Sorry about Ms. Bitters' character too! She was OOC and I'm sorry XP I just needed a way to distract Dib for a bit.

Again, I know that Zim isn't normally this nice. Heck, he's hardly ever nice in the first place, so he was OOC in this chappie, actually giving Ren a gift that didn't harm her mentally/too much. But then again, this is a one-time thing, so you won't be seeing Zim giving a non-harmful present to anyone any time soon. If EVER. ;) In fact, I don't think I'll make him give another 'present' to anyone entirely. It's just not his thing if it doesn't harm the receiver XD

Again, sorry for the OOCness of this chapter. It was crucial for the character development (and for drawing this fic to a close). Thanks for reading! :)

-x-


	6. A Grey Rainbow

Blind Colour

-x-

_**A Grey Rainbow**_

-x-

Zim didn't know what to feel. Was he meant to be elated? Was he meant to feel proud? Although he'd accomplished his goal, it didn't precisely feel _good_. After all, he had made Ren happy - and Ren was a stinky monkey-child who he, one day, would eventually destroy. _What was the point of this again? _he thought to himself as he watched the Ren-thing look around in wonder. _Making a human happy - BAH! What was I thinking?_ He sneered inwardly. _My single purpose on this dirt-ridden, flea-infested planet is to make them MISERABLE. Making them HAPPY? What on Irk has gotten into the indestructible ZIM?_

But he had to admit - the guilt was gone. What was left, though, was an odd sense of confusion. WHY did he feel guilty in the first place? WHY had he gone through the effort of making her HAPPY? WHY had he even BOTHERED, when they were all going to die soon anyway?

"Oh, Zim, this is simply amazing! You're a genius!" she said, laughing and smiling and giving him the biggest grin he ever saw. There were tears in her eyes. "I can't believe you did this! For me! Thank you so much!"

Then she began to cry.

Zim, again, began to feel irritated. Not only with her tears, but with her happiness and his confusion. "If you truly like it so much, then why are you leaking in your eyes?" he snapped. "I haven't water proofed those! Do you want your eyes to drown in their own leakiness?"

But despite his tone, Ren laughed. "They're tears of _happiness_, Zim!" She grabbed his hands and smiled so serenely at him that Zim wanted to stab his own squiggly-spooch. "I don't care if you're green, or if you have no ears, or a nose, or if you really DO look like an alien! You're the most bestest friend I've ever had and I can't thank you enough!"

Her joy was like radiation. Zim snatched his hands away from her. This wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to make the disgusting humans happy - he was Irken, for Irk's sake! He was part of a race that thrived on the destruction of other races! Why - What had possessed him to make her HAPPY?

_It was to get rid of those stupid human emotions of guilt and regret,_ he thought to himself, glaring. _I HATE these worm-babies! SO very MUCH! They've even begun to affect ME and dictate my ACTIONS! Unforgivable!_ And yes, the feelings of guilt and regret WERE gone. In place of it was utter shame. _I am Irken_, he told himself. _I only have loyalty to the Irken Empire. I shouldn't be wasting my PRECIOUS time on human EMOTIONS any longer!_

Then suddenly, he wanted to wipe that smile off her face. He wanted to rip off the goggles, so she wouldn't see colour anymore. He didn't want her smiling at him.

_A failure. That's what I am - an utter, despicable FAILURE!_

"I'm going now," he told her, his voice tight and harsh. "Enjoy your few hours of colour, pathetic Ren-child. After sundown, they will self-destruct unless you remove them. I haven't exactly fixed that defect in them." He turned around, fully intending to leave her presence. If he didn't leave, he might actually kill her. She was a walking example of his failure.

But WHY? Why wasn't he killing her right NOW? Why was he holding back?

He was frustrated to no end and he knew it must be because of _her_. Perhaps he really did need to get rid of her. She was becoming a terrible nuisance - perhaps even worse than that stinky Dib-brain.

"Wait, Zim!" she called out, catching up to him. She was puzzled and there was a nervous smile on her face. "Please come with me! I want to see the place again, with you! After all, it's only because of you that I can see colour again - if only temporarily."

"I don't _want_ to spend any more time with the likes of YOU!" Zim sneered at her bitterly. "Just leave the amazing ZIM alone, you horrible dirt-worm. Your happiness is like water on my skin; it burns and it scorches and I feel like disemboweling you." He gave her a deathly glare. "LEAVE MY PRESENCE AND DO NOT SHOW YOURSELF IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN!"

Again tears struck Ren's eyes and not because she was happy. "B-But Zim!" she protested, her tone pleading. "W-Why? I-I thought we were fr-friends! Why are you suddenly ac-acting so mean?"

"I'm ALWAYS like this - have you not realized, you blind girl? Go, shoo, your face disgusts me." And he stalked away darkly, left to ponder on his own strange actions that would, no doubt, puzzle him for the rest of his Irken life.

And he left Ren behind, also confused, unable to determine whether she was happy because she got her colour-sight back (temporarily) or sad because Zim was drifting further and further away from her.

-x-

Dib finally found Ren - and when he did, he immediately thought, _I'm too late!_

The moment he saw her, his eyes zoned in on the weird helmet thing she had on her head, along with the strange goggles over her eyes. It was all too apparent to him too that the wires were practically injected into her skull. "REN!" he screamed, charging at her. For some reason, she'd just been standing behind a dumpster, unmoving. "Do not worry! DIB has come to your rescue!"

Roughly, he tackled her to the ground and pinned her down. Holding a screwdriver he didn't know he had, he began to try and pry off the thing on her head.

"What the? DIB! STOP!"

"Calm down, Ren! I'll get it off you! I swear it on my LIFE!"

"Stop it!" Ren successfully managed to shove Dib off her and hastily stood up. She began tentatively touching the thing on her head, wondering whether or not it was broken. When she realized that she could still see colour, she made an inward sigh of relief. Then she glared at Dib, who had just stood up. "What is WRONG with you?" she screamed at him. "Why are you trying to destroy Zim's present?"

"So it WAS from Zim!" Like Dib had any doubt. "You MUST take it off, Ren! Otherwise, it might turn your brain into curry goo or something! Hurry! There could be a timer on that! Or maybe it's going to suck out your brain cells!" The thought of Zim actually succeeding in his plot churned Dib's stomach. "Come on, Ren. To my lab! We'll get the thing off ya in no time!"

But when he made a move to grab her wrist, she swatted his hand away. "Are you crazy?" she asked furiously. "Zim made something _wonderful_ for me! Dib, you probably won't understand, but Zim is my FRIEND. Do you know what he's given me? He's given me my colour-sight back and I won't let you ruin it!"

Dib stood there, aghast. "WHAT?" This was bizarre. This was really bizarre. Zim? Doing something nice for a filthy human? Ha. "Okay, Ren, well." He really didn't know what to say. This really was quite strange. "Well… obviously then… Zim wants something from you and doing something nice for you is only granting him your favour! Don't fall for it, Ren! It's exactly what he wants!"

Ren glared at him spitefully. "Why are you always like that?" she whispered angrily. "Why are you always trying to separate me and Zim? He's my bestest pal." Then she looked down, eyes watering. "But… I don't think he likes me very much." She sniffed. "Why? Why does he hate me?"

Dib couldn't help but roll his eyes. Not this again. "He's an ALI-"

"Maybe it's because he's done so much for me and I haven't done anything for him?" Ren continued to mumble. "I mean, look at him - he's the only one who's been nice to me and what do I do? I cry constantly and I always complain - I don't do anything for him." She frowned. "No wonder he doesn't really see me as a friend."

Glasses-boy slapped his forehead. "No, Ren, you're making Zim out to be deeper than he really is." He shook his head. "He's nothing but a shallow space-boy bent on human destruction - that's it. He doesn't care about anything else, Ren. He doesn't care about you."

Ren looked up again and glared at Dib. "And you're nothing but a boy playing hero, right? You, too, are quite single-minded. You have no idea how much words can hurt."

Dib gaped. "That's not what I-"

"I'm going," she interrupting, walking passed him. "I need to repay Zim somehow… Because he's my friend." She glanced back at him sharply. "Stop interfering, Dib. Whatever you think, I can take care of my self, and whatever I do, it's my own decision. Stop trying to be my hero… because that place belongs to Zim."

Dib was gawking at her, even when he disappeared from his view. What just happened? Did… Did Ren really like Zim? _Oh man, now I know what's happened -_

_He's brainwashed her._

-x-

Zim was facing a crisis.

He had failed his mission - in fact, he'd backtracked so badly that he could possibly never forgive himself.

What was he thinking, making a human happy? That was completely against his mission. If he wanted to make the disgusting dirt-walkers happy, then he might as well stop trying to conquer it. The very thought of abandoning his mission made Zim sneer. What was wrong with him? Was he growing sick?

"MASTAH!" his annoyingly defective robot screamed. "Mastah, why do ya looks so saaaaad?"

"Leave me to mope on the couch, Gir," Zim growled, glaring half-heartedly at the SIR unit. "Don't you have squirrels to chase or something?"

"Master," Computer said. Its voice resounded through the entire room. "Are you, perhaps, having relationship problems?"

"What's with everyone and relationships?" Zim snapped, still continuing to stare at the ceiling. "NO, Computer, I don't have a RELATIONSHIP problem."

"… Is it something to do with Ren?"

"… Yes, kinda."

"Then it's a relationship problem."

With a growl, Zim sat up. Gir was sitting by his feet, drooling openly. "I want to make her MISERABLE!" he confessed angrily. "I want her to rot! I want the entire human population to suffer and become nothing but wailing babies, easy to destroy! I want them all to perish and burn and drown and choke - I want to conquer this pathetic excuse for a planet so that I may DESTROY it! I hate this place! I hate its filthiness and its dirtiness and its obvious lack of hygiene! I loathe the dirt-babies that walk on it! Most importantly though, I ABHOR these EMOTIONS that they have! It is SICKENING!"

There was a silence afterwards, with nothing sounding but the sharp pants of the green alien. Then Gir finally said, "Ooooooooh."

"It seems," Computer started smartly, "that you've been _affected_ by these emotions that you abhor so much, master."

Zim didn't want to admit it so he just growled.

The Computer sighed - if computers COULD sigh, anyway. "Well, what's done is done. You have contracted the virus known as humanity. I suggest you go kill yourself now."

"I will do NO such thing until I am no longer useful to the Irken Empire!" Zim retorted. "Which, by the way, is NEVER!"

"Then what do you want to do?" the Computer asked in an irritated tone. "Are you just going to sit there and mope, just because you're human-infected, or are you actually going to DO something relatively productive… like take over the world?"

Zim blinked. "Yes…" he mumbled quietly to himself. "YES!" He jumped up. "I've been so preoccupied by these emotions and the Ren-brat that I've neglected my sole duty! It doesn't matter if I've contracted a hideous virus or that I've done a horrible backtrack - I will conquer this ball of filthy dirt. Nothing else matters! Thinking otherwise is not the way of a true Irken Invader!" He nodded to himself. "Ah… I'm such a genius. I can pull myself out of potential depression by just a single whim. Aren't I AMAZING?"

The Computer, if it could, would have rolled its eyes. "Yes, master," it said dryly. "You are amazing."

"Yes, yes, I know - you didn't need to tell me that, Computer." He turned to Gir. "GIR! Go do something more destructive than chew your own arm!" he demanded. "Go into the neighbourhood and terrorize the filthy human neighbours by showing them your expired-by-six-months taco!"

It seemed that was an order Gir would gladly follow. He saluted. "Yes, my mastah!" Then he ran out of the house, laughing hysterically, as per usual.

"Computer!" he demanded. "Send me down to my labs! I'm going to devise another devious plan that even DIB cannot stop!"

"That's what you always say…" the Computer grumbled.

But Zim only grinned to himself. He was going to get right back on track - he was Zim, after all, and if Zim couldn't do it, then no one else could.

-x-

Zim strutted around the Skool with a suspiciously large back pack. Knowingly, from past experiences, the Skool children warily backed away whenever he approached them, some even screaming and flailing their arms around when Zim even glanced at them. _Ah,_ the alien thought with satisfaction. _To strike fear within the worm-babies even when I haven't done anything yet! Such splendor!_ He'd forgotten what it was like to terrorize these, these – these _things_ – although it may be a little hard to believe. He couldn't believe he'd focused his attention on a single _human_ for so long without doing anything relatively destructive. _But that's in the past now, Zim, in the PAST!_ he growled inwardly. _NOTHING can stop you any longer!_

"ZIM!" cried a voice the alien wasn't surprised to hear. "What kind of diabolical plan do you have up your sleeve NOW, space-boy?"

"Well, _Dib,_ if you really want to know, I'll show you!" His arch nemesis stood in the middle of the hallway across from him, taking a defencive stance. Zim smirked and slowly reached behind him towards his backpack. The remaining students scurried away in fear like ants. Then quickly, Zim pulled out his newly invented weapon: the awesomely-invincible-sharp-shooting-laser-firing-missile-launching bazooka which, upon impact, could easily destroy an entire city. A dozen missiles locked onto Dib's tiny body and lasers and crossbows aimed at the poor, little earthen boy. "ZIM IS BACK!" the alien screamed in triumph.

Dib's eyes, if they could, would've popped right out of their sockets.

"I've had enough of these games, Dib!" Zim sneered. "I'm tired of going easy on you! Today, Dib, is the day you DIE!"

"No, Zim, wait!" Dib desperately pleaded, waving his hands in front of him as if it'd stop the missiles from glaring directly at him. "T-Think this over! You'll be blast away too, due to the recoil!"

"Ha! Pitiful human! That's why I have THIS!" Suddenly, Zim pressed a button on his wristwatch. Immediately, his body was enveloped by a pink, relatively skin-tight bubble. "It absorbs any shock wave, Dib! Muhahahahaha!" Zim smiled wickedly, his finger already on the trigger of his massive weapon. "Prepare to be annihilated! It REALLY hasn't been nice knowing you."

Dib gaped – he was serious. He was going to blow him into smithereens – seriously. "Z-Zim, wait, don't do-"

Zim grinned, showing off razor sharp, shark-like teeth. "Oh, but I already did." But before he could even press the trigger, a shout was heard.

"ZIIIIIM!"

Momentarily distracted, Zim turned to see Ren running towards him, tears in her eyes. Immediately, Zim's eyes narrowed as he redirected his missiles towards her. "Don't come any closer, you pitiful girl!" he demanded.

But Ren seemed oblivious to his massive weapons and to his threat as she embraced him, tears running down her eyes. "Please, Zim, you have to hear me out! You can play with Dib later, okay? Just please, listen to me!" she pleaded, still crying.

Zim was puzzled – why did she think that they were playing a game? Did his weapons LOOK fake? Apparently, she really was rather blind.

Ren sniffed and stepped back. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm leaving."

Zim cocked an eyebrow. "Err, well, good," he said, waving a hand at her dismissively. He turned his attention back to Dib and once more, the missiles and crossbows were locked onto him. "Go away now," he demanded. "I'm busy."

"No, as in, I'm leaving _leaving_ Zim!" Ren pushed. "I'm leaving the Skool. My family's moving again and I don't think we'll be coming back." She wiped away her tears and smiled at him ruefully. "I'm really, really sorry, Zim. I wish I could've done so much more for you, since you've done so much for me."

"Leaving… and never coming back?" Zim asked slowly. He turned to look at her and was confused – why was he neither happy nor sad about this little tidbit of news? Shouldn't he be glad that she'd finally be out of his hair? Metaphorically speaking?

Ren nodded slowly. "Zim, I-"

"Oh my Gosh!" Zita, one of the Skool children who randomly walked by to witness the scene. "Ren's hair! It ain't rainbow anymore!"

Indeed, it wasn't. Instead, Ren had died it a smooth grey. Zim thought it matched her eyes perfectly. "Yeah, about that," Ren said, scratching the back of her head. "I didn't tell you before, Zim, but I have three brothers, and they thought it would be funny if they put in rainbow die in my shampoo. Being colour-blind, I didn't notice until, well, you gave me that goggle-helmet thing." She smiled at the alien. "Another thing to thank you for – I was treated like an outcast not because of my eyes, but because of my hair and what it represented, right?"

Zim was utterly confused and nodded dumbly. "Y-Yeah…" he said hesitantly. "THAT'S what it was. What, you think I didn't know that?"

Ren, spotting his puzzlement, could only shake her head and smile fondly. "Anyway, Zim, I'd like to thank you. For being the only one who wanted to be my friend despite all these misunderstandings. I wanted to thank you because, for a brief moment, you made me feel alive again. I'm sorry that nothing I've done made you smile. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better friend, like you were to me. Here." She slipped something into Zim's hands and gave him a brief kiss on his cheek. "Thank you… for everything, Zim."

Then she ran away, blushing furiously and crying, wondering why it was so hard to resist going back and hugging the alien boy.

Zim watched, mouth agape and eyes wide, as she disappeared around a corner and never returned. He glanced down at his hand and at the glass prism she'd given him. As if he was hypnotized, he lifted up the prism, closer to one of the Skool ceiling lights, and was amazed to find all the colours of the rainbow shining within the solid piece of glass.

And all he could do was stare, mystified.

Then something tackled him to the ground. "Ha! Take that, Zim! Don't let your guard down for even one moment!" Dib sneered at him, attempting to grab hold of Zim's weapon. "Gimme, gimme, gimme! You've already failed anyway, space boy! Whatever plans you had for Ren, they're useless now! She's gone! Ha! You've failed once again, ZIM!"

Furiously, Zim kicked Dib off. While Dib was still on the ground, the alien stomped his foot down on Dib's chest, choking him. Zim them aimed all his weapons, the missiles, crossbows, lasers and multiple sharp objects, directly at Dib's gigantic head. "Enough, Dib!" he growled, glaring down at him darkly. "Enough."

But why couldn't he pull the trigger? He was so willing before – he was _able_ to pull it before. But then that Ren-girl came and gave him this stupid piece of glass. Why couldn't he do it now?

Zim inwardly sighed. _The human dirt-bags are stupid and ignorant – that's a fact. But maybe… even then… they aren't that bad._

With a convincing snarl, Zim retracted his weapons and placed it back into his bag. "Listen up, Dib-stink," he snapped, stomping on his chest for emphasis. He had satisfaction in listening to the human boy gasp out for air. "I'll kill you one day – I'll conquer this pathetic excuse for a planet before you can even blink. But… for now…" Zim stepped back and turned away. "… For now, I'm tired of seeing your face, Dib-stink."

Dib blinked as Zim stalked away. What had just happened? Zim was ready to kill him – and blow up the entire Skool while he was at it – but he didn't. Dib knew he _could've_ done it; that was clear in his mad, raging eyes. But then why did he stop?

Dib shivered unintentionally. He was suddenly reminded of the fact that Zim, indeed, was an _alien_, with far superior technology and skills than he. Although Zim was naïve and slightly foolish, Dib couldn't avoid the fact that he was an alien – completely capable of destroying his very world. He had multiple chances to kill him – yet, for some reason, the green boy just chose not to.

The human boy released an aggravated sigh and lay flat on his back. _Perhaps Zim really is a sadistic bastard playing a game._

-x-

"HEY MASTAHHH!" Gir cried, glomping the green alien. "How was yer day, mastah ZIIIIIM?"

Zim, oddly enough, let the robot clutch onto his head. He didn't answer as he simply dropped his large backpack and sat on his sofa, looking dazed.

The Computer, as expected, spoke up. "What's the matter, master? Tough day?"

"Not really," Zim grumbled. He took out the prism from his pocket and held it against the light, watching the colours swirling inside the glass. "Humans are confusing, aren't they?"

"YESH," Gir replied, sitting next to him and chewing peanut butter. "YESH!"

"What makes you ask that, master?" the Computer asked.

"Nothin'," Zim replied absently. There was a long silence and then, Zim said, "Who am I?"

Even Gir seemed surprised at the question. The Computer answered, "You're Zim, master."

"_Invader_ Zim," the alien corrected with a slightly sharp tone. "And why am I here on this dirt-ridden planet?"

"To… conquer… it?" the Computer hesitantly said, wondering whether or not these were trick questions.

"That's right," Zim nodded. "That's completely right. And that's what I, Invader Zim, will do – I'll conquer earth and befall misery upon its inhabitants, so that it'll be ready when the Armada comes. But…" He looked at the rainbow colours in the prism once more before dropping his arm and closing his eyes, sighing peacefully. "There's no harm in me… waiting – no, _playing_ with them, right, Computer? I'll tease them humans, toy with them, because whenever I want, I _can_ conquer it."

Gir glanced at his master blankly. "Huwwaaa?"

Computer seemed just as confused as Gir was. "Um, yeah, sure you can, master."

Zim grinned and opened his eyes. No one could read them. "Yes, that's what I'll do. I'll still dominate this world, but I'll do so in my own time. What's the rush, eh?" He tossed the piece of glass to the side, onto one of the tables. _Humans, _he thought, _no – not all of them – but some… they deserve to live a bit more… right?_

And so he did just that. He fought with Dib, harming him but not killing him, and pretended like he was taking over the world. He found this amusing, how everything went back to normal – but it was only skin deep. Zim never really tried – he, instead, had fun with it, teasing Dib and enjoying how that with each and every day that passed, the boy would grow more paranoid, lose a little bit more hair (oh, how that was amusing). It was like a game to him – a terribly fun, dangerous game. After all, even when he did have fun, some things also tended to blow up, some humans were disemboweled and a couple of pet stores would catch on fire with the animals and people still in it. Although, it wasn't as if Zim didn't like that – in fact, he found that if he did do these things, it'd only excite him more.

So he didn't try to conquer the world – not yet. Instead, he made it his everyday duty to torment the human called Dib, toying with him senselessly. Oh, the time would come when the games would have to stop, he knew.

But, for now, he'd simply let them live, to let them see the colours of blue, green, yellow, orange and white. Because, before long, their world will become nothing but smokes of grey, black and flaming red.

-x-

The End

-x-

KazunaPikachu


End file.
